“The Media thrives only when it is free, we have had robust discussions around the media guidelines protocols on results management…Previous assignments have shown that where media has been able to come together, we do a better job,” said the Kenya Editors Guild President Churchill Otieno.
A free and impartial media plays a critical role in contributing to transparent and accountable democracy in Kenya. The media can empower Kenyans to fully participate in their democracy by equipping them with reliable information about the electoral processes, public debates about key issues, and clear information about how to vote. During the 2022 election period in Kenya, USAID supported partners in the media sector to expand media freedom and independence and to improve the professionalism of journalists, editors, and producers.
In recent years, there have been great achievements made by the media to engage Kenyans on key issues of national concern and facilitating important national conversations on issues such as good governance and human rights, while seeking to hold leaders accountable.
In the leadup to the Kenyan Elections in August 2022, USAID made a significant investment in working directly with Kenyan civil society organizations to promote free, fair, and peaceful elections. USAID’s partners recognize that a strong media sector is critical to ensure Kenya’s democracy delivers peace and prosperity for all citizens. USAID worked with Kenyan partners to train a diverse cadre of journalists to help provide independent information on key issues for voters, inclusive reporting, and identifying and countering mis-and disinformation online. USAID partners worked with more than 475 journalists on conflict and gender sensitive reporting, and reporting on election results.
Another key achievement of the USAID elections project was the official publication of the Media Guidelines on Elections and Results Management, which were signed by the Independent Election and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Kenya Editors Guild, and the Media Council of Kenya in July 2022. The guidelines were developed with support from USAID’s Election Program and clarified roles regarding the tallying and reporting of election results. This was the first time in Kenya that these types of guidelines were developed and implemented, and many believe they helped create the conditions for a peaceful election and post-election period. “The signing of the media guidelines and protocols is a commitment to work together, empower and strengthen our relationship,” said Wafula Chebukati, Chairperson of the IEBC.
Background:
Thanks to the efforts of USAID’s local election partners, 18 million Kenyans were reached with peace messaging through USAID-supported community and faith-based leaders, dialogue and advocacy forums, and broadcast media. In addition, the Issues Mbele or Issues First campaign, which was jointly implemented by all partners, reached 23 million Kenyans with a multimedia issues-based voter education communications campaign. Through civic and voter education activities and events, USAID’s partners reached 73,000 people in 37 counties. USAID provided technical support to key elections institutions including the IEBC and the Judiciary.
USAID