DW Media Dialogue: Kenya's media landscape

On the face of it, Kenyan journalists have a positive press environment. The 2010 constitution guarantees press freedom and access to information, and Kenya's media enjoy greater freedoms than in many of its neighboring countries. Kenya is also seen as one of the trailblazers when it comes to digital innovations.

But appearances can be misleading, said Kenyan Professor Levi Obonyao, speaking at the opening round of DW's fifth Media Dialogue held in Bonn. "Kenya's media is controlled by commercial interests, and profit-driven media organizations are a major challenge," said Obonyao, dean of the School of Communication at Daystar University in Nairobi.

Other speakers at the Media Dialogue agreed. Michelle Muleni from Hamburg University (Universität Hamburg) said political and business interests are clearly limiting freedom of expression and media diversity.

Josephat Nyiro-Cahro, an editor at Deutsche Welle, said the violent outbreaks which followed the 2007/2008 presidential elections continue to have a negative impact on critical journalism. This is because journalists fear intimidation if they do report critically, he said.

The renowned Kenyan photojournalist Boniface Mwangi agreed, saying self-censorship is very common. Safety measures for journalists have to be increased, he added.

Declining media freedoms

In 2013, Kenya passed two new laws, "and these laws are presenting additional constraints for journalists," said Henry Maina, East Africa director of the organization, ARTICLE 19. Professor Murej Mak'Ochieng, dean of the Media and Communication faculty at Nairobi’s Multimedia University, called for civil society to become involved in legislative processes. "People need to demand their constitutional rights," he said. While Mak'Ochieng believes that there has been an increase in public debates and discussions over the past 20 years, he said that people are still not becoming involved in political processes.

Additional projects and studies looking at Kenya's media landscape were also presented during the symposium. Corinne Schwegler and Christoph Spurk, both media researchers at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, analyzed two media monitoring studies done during Kenya's 2013 elections and concluded that there "is still a huge potential for media monitoring in Kenya."

Research throws light on Kenya

Nicolas Benequista from the London School of Economics identified a culture of conflict avoidance between journalists, publishers and politicians, while Maryann Egbujor, a student in DW Akademie's International Media Studies master's program, focused on journalism training in Kenya. Her master's thesis is studying the link between journalists' training, professionalism and journalistic ethics.

The symposium also offered insight into various financial models for community radios, as well as participation in, and media usage of, mainstream TV formats.

Professor Schmidt, head of academics and administration at DW Akademie, stressed the importance of exchanges between the media and researchers. "Applied research is essential for media development in Africa," said Schmidt, who initiated DW's Media Dialogues. Speaking at the Kenya symposium, Schmidt called for the expansion of networks between media workers and those involved in the academic field.

Approximately 80 experts and researchers attended this year's DW Media Dialogue on the invitation of DW Akademie and the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. The proceedings are to be published shortly. Previous Media Dialogue symposia have focused on media landscapes in Pakistan, Turkey, Russia and the Arab world.