Access to information is only the beginning

Having abundant information does not automatically produce an informed public.[Courtesy]

Living in an age of abundant information presents a peculiar difficulty: Having more of it does not necessarily make it easier to know what is true.

Within minutes, a person can encounter the same story on several platforms, conflicting accounts, a convincing video and an apparently authoritative statement. The challenge is no longer simply finding information, but judging what is credible, incomplete, unverified or deliberately manipulated. Access to information must therefore also be a conversation about information integrity.

Access to information is a fundamental right. Article 35 of the Constitution grants citizens access to information held by the State and, in specified circumstances, by another person when needed to exercise or protect a right or fundamental freedom. The Access to Information Act requires public entities to facilitate that access.

These provisions recognise that people cannot participate meaningfully in public life without the information needed to understand decisions, question authority and make informed choices. Yet the right to information does not, in itself, guarantee an informed public.

Information may exist but be hard to obtain, arrive too late, or be presented in ways that are difficult to understand. Even credible information competes online with content designed to provoke, mislead or attract attention.

Misinformation and disinformation thrive not only because falsehoods exist, but also where reliable information is unavailable, difficult to verify or published after a false narrative has taken hold. Responsibility cannot rest with one institution or profession.

Public institutions must provide relevant information, answer legitimate requests and disclose proactively where appropriate. Openness should be more than legal compliance: Timely, credible information reduces speculation, strengthens confidence and enables citizens to engage on the basis of facts.

The media has a corresponding duty. Journalism verifies, contextualises and scrutinises information before it reaches the public, a responsibility made more urgent by the extraordinary speed of digital publication.

Technology complicates this environment. Artificial intelligence can support research, verification and access, but can also generate convincing false content at scale. Social media widens participation while allowing misleading claims to travel faster than corrections.

Citizens are also part of this ecosystem. Media and information literacy helps people validate claims, distinguish fact from opinion, recognise manipulation and consult reliable sources before accepting or sharing content.

This is especially important as Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election. Elections create intense demand for information, while political competition encourages unverified claims, manipulated content and narratives intended to shape public perception. Timely, credible information is essential for citizens assessing candidates, issues, public decisions and the electoral process.

The answer is not to restrict information in the name of protection. Information integrity and freedom of expression are complementary. A healthy environment lets people access, produce and share information while sustaining the standards and safeguards that distinguish reliable material from harmful falsehoods.

The Media Council of Kenya supports this effort by engaging public institutions, training journalists and strengthening professional standards. Its work on election coverage, digital responsibility, AI and verification helps the media provide accurate, responsible and useful information.

As Kenya marks the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the 2026 theme, 'Upholding information integrity in the digital age: The role of access to information in addressing information disorder,' links the right to information with the reliability of what people access.

MCK’s today's commemoration in Nairobi offers an opportunity to assess implementation of this right and the improvements still required.

The broader task is to move beyond policy. Universal access means enabling citizens to find authoritative information, question it and use it to participate meaningfully in governance.

Where access alone is no longer the main challenge, that is the clearest measure of whether meaningful access has truly been achieved.

Mr Omwoyo is the Chief Executive Officer of the Media Council of Kenya, Chairperson of the East African Press Council, and Chairperson of the World Association of Press Councils