Media sustainability, journalists' safety top State talks with editors

ICT and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Margaret Ndung'u during a meeting with media stakeholders on December 13, 2024 at a Nairobi Hotel. [ Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] 

The safety of journalists, press freedom and debts owed to media houses dominated a Friday meeting between editors and the government.

In the round table talks held in Nairobi between Ministry of Information, Communication and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Margaret Ndung’u and media leaders, it emerged that the State has a crucial role to play in facilitating media freedom to fully fulfil its obligation.

Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) Secretary General Eric Oduor said that the vision for a democratic society can only be realised if the State recognises the importance of the media in a progressive society through ensuring journalists rights are protected and the industry is financially supported.

“We need the government’s commitment to uphold safety and protection of journalists and hold to account anyone who harasses journalists, including those within the government,” he added.

Recently, the State has faced public scrutiny over violations of journalists’ rights, with incidents such as the abduction of journalists and physical attacks on reporters covering protests continuing to undermine press freedom.

Standard Group Editor-in-Chief Ochieng Rapuro urged government officials to cease their campaign to delegitimize legacy media.

“The media, as an institution, has a legitimate right to exist in the country. From there, we derive the point that, as Kenyans, we have chosen to live in a democratic society and free market economy, and thus require independent media to thrive. The role of the Ministry is to make policies that facilitate good practices, enabling our democracy and economy to grow,” said Rapuro.

Ndung’u assured that the government is committed to resolving media challenges, while admitting that there exist a “confusion and lack of clear government advertising policy and feelings of discriminatory government advertising regime.”

She revealed that 42 percent of the debts owed to the media are being processed and will soon be disbursed.

“My ministry will engage media owners as early as next week to prioritize workers’ welfare and ensure payments are made as soon as the pending bills are cleared,” she said.

The government currently owes independent media houses over Sh2 billion, a financial burden that continues to cripple the industry as they struggle to pay salaries and manage their operations.

“The stakeholders believe that the government should pay all the debts owed to the media houses,” Oduor said, calling for transparency in the process of settling the debts.

Among the unresolved issues affecting the media sector that were presented to the government is the stalemate in the constitution of the Media Council of Kenya board.