Standard Group CEO Sam Shollei (R), Director Francis Munywoki and Royal Media’s Carol Wanyama. [PHOTO:ONYANGO/STANDARD]

By Felix Olick

In a break with tradition, all aspirants for the presidency will be invited to share one stage in three live television debates broadcast nationally by all local electronic media.

The aspirants will present their agenda to enable Kenyans make an informed choice on whom to elect on March 4 2013.

The live television debate format borrows from the presidential election tradition in the United States of America where a moderator interrogates candidates on their policies and agenda before a live television audience and they publicly challenge each other on listed issues.

This follows a decision by Kenya’s media houses to hold joint live presidential debates ahead of the historic General Election.

The shows will be beamed live on television sets, broadcast on radio and streamed on the Internet.

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Media executives said candidates seeking to succeed President Kibaki would have a rare opportunity to showcase their policies, standpoints and leadership agenda for turning around Kenya.

“The first debate will be held on November 26 at 7.30 pm, with the next one on January 13 and the final on February 11 next year. In the event of a run-off (to decide the winner of the presidential race), we propose to have another debate for the two remaining candidates,” announced the Chairman of the Presidential Debates Steering Committee Mr Wachira Waruru.

Kenya’s robust media industry will give Kenyans a chance to participate in interrogating their leaders on short text message platform 2282, Online websites, blogs and social media.

Speaking at Nairobi Serena Hotel on Wednesday, the Standard Group Chief Executive Officer Sam Sholei, and fellow executives Waithaka Waihenya (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation), Linus Gitahi (Nation Media Group), Mr Paul Wanyaga (Mediamax) and Wachira Waruru (Royal Media Services) explained how the debates would be conducted.

They said public participation will be a key element in the debates and promised it will be fair and professionally run.

They also promised that the production quality would be top-notch even as they maintained that the Editorial Committee would ensure that questions asked are fair to all presidential contenders.

Milestone

Mr Shollei hailed the debates as a milestone in Kenya’s political dispensation and democratisation process, and asked aspirants to ready themselves for active participation by varied audiences.

“This is a milestone in the political dispensation and in the democratisation processes of this the country. It’s a chance for Kenya to walk away from negative ethnicity and embark on issue-based politics,” said the Standard Group boss.

He said the organisers would mobilise representatives of all 47 counties to be part of a live studio audience during the debates and will also incorporate live feedback and questions from various social media platforms.

“We will activate social media platforms and mobilise as many Kenyans to participate actively on Facebook and Twitter,” he note.

He said Kenyans across the country would have a rare opportunity to shoot questions to presidential aspirants on various issues affecting them.

“At the end of the debate, we will have a team of seasoned journalists to sit with independent analysts and members of the public and have discussions on how we think the candidates discussed the issues that are important to us,” he said

Mr Shollei called on interest groups — including employers, employees and women groups to participate in the process.

In the US, presidential debates are often-times a game-changer at the ballot, and those in the race to State House may now need to rethink their strategy to impress voters.

Unfortunately in the past, many political rallies in the country have been marred by conflict and hooliganism, and presidential aspirants have never been put to task to articulate their policies.

Speaking during the forum, Gitahi said that aspirants would have an opportunity to tell Kenyans their position on the country’s worrying insecurity, infrastructural programmes, food security and how to make free primary and secondary education more competitive.

“It will be the first of its kind in Africa and voters will have a direct opportunity to ask particular questions to those seeking the presidency.”

He said aspirants would have to tell Kenyans how they would address these issues, including negative ethnicity, and warned that no candidate would be allowed to walk in with their supporters.

“Our message to the candidates is, please prepare. It will be you alone on the podium to tell the country your thoughts about how this country is going to be different because you are going to improve it,” he noted.

Wanyagah described the debates as an exciting time in Kenya’s history. He said that it would be an indication that Kenya remains the pacesetter in the region.

The meeting was also attended by Kass FM’s Joshua Chepkwony, who asked that the debates factor in Kenyans in the Diaspora whose contribution can be streamed live on the Internet.

KBC Managing Director Waithaka Waihenya assured the public and the candidates of the integrity of the process.