Video: Headlines in Kenya's 50-year History

A four-part series, this hour-long documentary, Headlines in History, chronicles post-colonial Kenya by reviewing the stories that made headlines in the newspapers of the Nation Media Group.

Watch clips here. 

Kibaki Addresses the Pan African Media Conference

Yesterday, the President spoke at the Pan African Media conference in Nairobi, the first of its kind. Published below are his remarks. Comments? The Kenyan media has, over the last several years, had unprecedented freedoms both in access to information and on reporting privileges. As consumers of news, in your opinion and observation, what gains has the Kenyan media made? What are their shortcomings?

Go here.

Africa's Media Explosion

African immigrant entrepreneurs are increasingly taking advantage of low cost of starting online media to launch Web sites facilitating discussions between the Diaspora and the continent. Although the Internet has been a bridge between other immigrants and their home countries, connecting African immigrants to the continent has been slow because of underdeveloped infrastructure.

Read more.

Why it is hard to sympathise with the media

As a journalist, it is very easy to be swallowed into the bandwagon calling for actions to amend the Kenya Communications Act, which the media hoped it would not be signed.

But most of us shouting from the top of our heads do not even know much about the history of the process. It has been a long process since 1998 when the Kenya Communications Act came into force. The ICT policy was published in 2006 and since then the amendment

Another journalist takes on the media's reaction to the Media Bill. Read more.  

Kibaki signs the “Media” bill, Media continues to play war

I've just tried to watch the 9pm news tonight and mostly failed, the first twenty minutes went to the media bill, choreographed a little with an interview type session within the news talking about how draconian and evil the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill, now Act, 2008 is.

The interviewee has been pitched as someone close to President Kibaki or to the Government. He begins by saying that the lengthy statement issued by Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua in today's dailies was a waste of public funds.

More?

A journo's take on the media bill

This media bill.... has anyone read it anyway or as usual, are we just commenting on things we know very little about? I am beggining to think it isn't such a big deal anymore....don't get me wrong, I think if the media was really 'gagged', we would be in big trouble, and me being a journo, it wouldn't be good for me, so a gagging is the last thing I want. But for me, this is no longer about the media bill.... there is much more to this..... Yesterday, I attempted to go through some literature on the bill. I still haven't seen the amendment bill, but I think from what I have gathered, I have a good idea on what is going on. Allow me to dissect, and please feel free to contribute.

More. 

New Communications Law; from Government Spokesman

The Government of Kenya's Communication Office has put out in yesterday's (Sunday) papers paid advertisements in which it aims to dispel the fears raised against the so called Media Bill, recently signed into law by the President.

We republish that paid advert here (for free) noting that it has been available on Dr. Mutua's website for a while now, the date on the website is 19th December. Kenyans would likely have been less surprised by the presidential assent if they had read this opinion then. 

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The Daily Nation: 'The Truth' of Deception

When in April of last year I criticized The Standard and called the Kenyan newspaper a tabloid for running what I thought was a speculative, sensational story, some accused me of singling out the publication.

“The (Daily) Nation had run with a similar story only the same week,” one respondent wrote.

“Does anyone have any proof that [Nicholas] Biwott was at all involved in Ouko’s murder? Did you consider The Nation a tabloid for publishing that?” another one asked.

And my reply to them was that The Nation was not the one “moaning about a (government) vendetta, so let’s keep it out of this until its time comes.”

That time is now.

Read more. 

Elderkin vs Throup

It isn't news that the Standard isn't a neutral paper. Two instances - their reporting of Balala's remark, and their reporting of the International Crisis Group's report on Kenya - serve to establish that claim. If you followed the Kriegler Commission's hearings, and you should have, you ought not to have followed them via the Standard, because some of the commentary on the hearing was egregiously biased. I'm referring, as you might have guessed, to Sarah Elderkin's pieces on the 17th and 24 August.

Read more from Daniel Waweru here.

The revolution has been televised!

The Kenyan media industry gave to the 2007 General elections intense, unparalleled, often partisan, coverage. This coverage has been blamed for the chaos that has engulfed the country after the final result announcement.

But this is not a black and white issue, and the media is not wholly to blame.

Read more from Toni Kamau here.

Unchanged; Kenya after the last election

As we consider our choices at the next election, and ponder the utility of elections in promoting good governance. What also of the specific pledges that politicians are making now?

Read here as Bertil Mketu assesses the political growth or lackthereof in Kenya and watch a slide show detailing Kenyan newsmedia coverage of the previous elections.

Silent Protest for Media Freedom

Rebecca Wanjiru writes on a demonstration that will be carried out by the Kenyan media. Published is an email from Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo on the proposed media bill.

There I said it, sources. That is what the whole problem is about is it
not? The bill insists that I would have to reveal the source of my information
above. There is nothing wrong with that except that it is very ambiguous and can
easily be misused.

Read more here.

SOS: Stifling Media Bill

Richard Mbuthia opines on the passing of the controversial Media Bill in Kenya.

The whole of the Bill seems pretty dark but certain clauses in it come out nakedly in attack of our fundamental freedoms. A clause in the Media Bill forces journalists to divulge their source of information in the event that their stories ‘stir a court case'.

Read more here.

Heckled in Mombasa - video

Here is a video report from a Kenya media house on the Mombasa rally that saw Mwingi North MP Kalonzo Musyoka humiliatingly shown off stage by a group of slogan shouting youths.

Readers are invited to comment on the event, and on its significance both to our general political culture, and to the possibility of reconciliation and unity in the ODM-K movement.

Kenyan Newspaper Entrepreneur in the USA

See how an Atlanta, GA (USA) based Kenyan entrepreneur took his business from a small two page newsletter into the largest newspaper serving Kenyans living in the States.

You may visit Kim Media Group's Kenya Empowerment News and see for self why it has risen to the top of America's Kenyan news!

Benin Mwangi interviews founder and president of Kim Media Group, Wilson Kimani Wanguhu.

Read more.

The Nation Does it Again and Again

Stephen Wanyama on a recent article in the Daily Nation and its bias against Raila Odinga. Read the rest here.

A lot has been made in the past few weeks about the use of insulting language in politics. The warnings against incitement and provocative behavior were targeted mainly at the political class. In the past week however, the Daily Nation has shown that it too is deserving of a telling off. On the 28^th of April, under the same campaign that led to a vicious attack on Mwingi South Mp Kalonzo Musyoka, the Nation Group hid behind a Special Correspondent of some sort to issue what is truly a vicious round of invective against the MP for Langata and aspirant for the ODM-K Presidential ticket.