IPS-English DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Media Civil to Civil Society?
 
Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 15:13:05 -0700

 

Joyce Mulama

NAIROBI, May 19 (IPS) - They fight for the rights of AIDS patients, lobby for fairer trade regulations, highlight environmental ills -- and address a host of other pressing issues in Kenya. But, some of them feel these initiatives are being given short shrift from the media.

In short, certain activists and non-governmental groups have an axe to grind with news outlets in the East African country.

   ”The press here, as much as we say it is open, is driven by sensationalism to make sales. This is a big weakness because there are serious development issues that are taking place in the background, and these need to be highlighted,” said Mwambi Mwasaru, acting executive director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission, adding that coverage is especially neglectful of the concerns of rural areas.

   By way of example, he cited the media's response to an inquiry into rights violations by salt manufacturers against the coastal community of Malindi, in 2005.

   This event was held by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, a governmental body, and lasted almost a week. Even so, it attracted little attention: ”The press had been mobilised, but the event was hardly captured -- even by the national media. Yet, this was a matter that involved serious human rights abuses against Kenyans.”

   ”This is just one example,” Mwasaru told IPS. ”I can go and on.”

   Cyprian Nyamwamu, chief executive officer of the National Convention Executive Council, an alliance of groups pressing for social reform, has similar concerns.

   ”Our mediaàis filled with far too much political intrigue that has now been reduced to being either pro- or anti-government -- nothing in between,” he said. ”Significant issues that are and have always been raised by civil society in Kenya are lost between the political contests of pro- and anti-government forces.”

   Journalists and other media representatives interviewed by IPS offered a variety of responses to these allegations.

   For his part, Absalom Mutere -- chairman of the board of trustees of the Media Council of Kenya -- didn't disagree with the claims.

   ”The media does not deal with issues anymore. They deal with events that our politicians have designed. If I was to rate the media on a scale of one out of ten in terms of how they conduct coverage of issues, I would give them four,” he said.

   Wilson Ugangu, a journalist and development communication lecturer at the University of Nairobi's School of Journalism, said poor coverage of civil society could stem from a lack of resources: ”The issues (raised by civic groups) are very relevant and of immediate concern to society, but journalists may not be funded by their employers to conduct thorough research and investigations in order to come up with well-rounded coverage.”

   However Martin Adhola, another journalist based in the Kenyan capital, believes non-governmental groups should shoulder part of the blame for the media's alleged shortcomings.

   ”Their campaigns are on and off. We only hear these organisations reacting after something has happened, then they go silent again. Civil society needs to be proactive all the time,” he noted.

   Such concerns may receive another airing in the coming week at the World Assembly of CIVICUS -- the World Alliance for Citizen Participation: a Johannesburg-based umbrella body for non-governmental groups across the board that supports civic involvement, notably in places where this is under threat.

   The annual event is scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from May 23-27 under the theme 'Acting Together for a Just World'.

   Particular attention is being given to the role of accountability in ensuring global justice. The assembly programme includes discussions about how civil society organisations (CSOs), the media, corporations, global institutions and the like can be held responsible for their actions.

   More broadly, the gathering aims to help civic groups ”create and strengthen connections with each other” while providing a ”platform for CSOs to interact and engage with interested parties from government and intergovernmental organisations and reflect on the state of civil society around the world,” notes CIVICUS Secretary General Kumi Naidoo on the assembly web site. (END/IPS/AF/EA/AB/HD/DV/CS/IC/JM/JH/07)


 
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