Raila Odinga leads in media space consumption - Media Council of Kenya

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga leads in media space consumption.

This is according to a media monitoring report released by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) on Friday that showed improved adherence to journalistic ethics by Kenyan media houses despite the interference of media ownership in the framing and coverage of political stories.

The same report showed media coverage of the 2022 election campaign has worked in contrast with the coverage in the approach to the 2017 general election.

The report covering April to early June 2022 shows a drastic decrease in breaches of the Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya. 

Reporting by both the mainstream and community radio stations on both national and county and regional politics was skewed in favour of regional politics.

The report focused on how the mainstream media reported on the 17 candidates who had expressed a strong interest in the presidency and showed up for clearance and registration by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Radio remains the biggest dispenser of political news with a 62 per cent coverage. This is attributed to the existence of several national and community radio stations compared to TV and print.

Television comes second at 27 per cent, a situation attributed to wide penetration and frequency distribution.

Print is rated third at 11 per cent. The report also indicates that social media platforms are mostly used to spread disinformation and misinformation.

Kenya Kwanza coalition received better coverage according to the report, following earlier concerns by the side of unfair coverage.

Kenya Kwanza overtook the Azimio la Umoja One-Kenya, particularly on the radio platform.

However, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga leads in media space consumption followed by Kenya Kwanza Alliance presidential candidate William Ruto.

MCK CEO David Omwoyo said the August election is already precipitating a lot of political heat, being the toughest election in the country’s history.

"The run-up to the 2022 polls is already radiating a lot of heat, particularly on the presidential seat. With parties and coalitions having been cemented, the top seat remains the most hotly contested, with the stiffest competitions ever witnessed in Kenya’s history," Omwoyo said.

Omwoyo also said MCK has noticed an interest in issue-based reporting but called for more efforts by the media.

He challenged the politicians to package their issues competitively, contrary to the common noise they make in their political rallies.

"I also throw a challenge to the candidates to package their issues competitively as opposed to the noise being experienced in rallies. It is critical that balance be achieved on all news content and journalism must embrace fact-checking as a primary value," says Mr Omwoyo.

Omwoyo revealed the MCK will continue training journalists, media practitioners and creatives in various aspects of election reporting to boost professionalism.