Friday, March 15, 2024 - Media stakeholders have warned of mass job cuts and the closure of media houses following President William Ruto’s government's move to exclusively award its advertisements to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
In a statement released by
various associations, including the Kenya Editor's Guild and the Kenya
Association of Journalists, the latest move would curtail
revenue streams for other media houses.
The associations added that the
media houses would be forced to take administrative action and lay off
their staff.
"Diverting these resources
exclusively to KBC will starve young independent media of crucial financial
oxygen, potentially forcing closures, job losses, and a drastic reduction in
the media landscape.
"This not only undermines
the public's right to access diverse information but also stifles economic
activity and innovation within the media sector," read the statement in
part.
Further, it was noted that the
decision impedes media freedom enshrined in the 2010 Constitution of
Kenya.
According to the stakeholders,
the government seeks to reinforce the national broadcaster as a
powerful tool for shaping public opinion.
As a result, the stakeholders
call on the government to reconsider its decision and adhere to the principles
of equity as prescribed by the Constitution.
International organisations were
also called upon to take an interest in the matter and take a stand against the
interference of media freedoms.
The government's directive to
advertise only on KBC was issued by ICT Principal Secretary, Edward Kisiang’ani
on Friday with PSs and state corporations asked to adhere to the new
guidelines.
Kisiang'ani explained that the
decision was informed by the government's plan to align its advertising
and revamp KBC.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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