Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) has raised a red flag and concerns regarding the reapportionment of four board members into the Media Council of Kenya (MCK).
KCA further wants the ICT Cabinet
Secretary William Kabogo to revoke the gazette notice announcing the Re-appointments.
“It has come to our attention that the CS has “re-appointed” four members of the previous board to the Media Council for a further term of three years,” read the statement by KCA national vice Chairperson Irene Nasimiyu.
The press release further states that “KCA is aware there is an advertisement
published in the media seeking applications for additional members to join the council and that efforts are ongoing to set up a Selection Panel for the process,”.
In view of the developments, KCA Board of Management met on Wednesday July 30, 2025 to review these developments and to take a position. KCA is one of the stakeholder organizations provided for in the Media Council Act 2013 charged with the selection process of the MCK
Council members and those of the Complaints Commission.
Having carefully reviewed the developments, KCA Board wishes to state as follows:
“There exists a Selection Panel which was inaugurated by the ICT Ministry under the
former CS Eliud Owalo, pursuant to the Act. The Panel conducted the interviews and was almost at the tail end before it was stopped by court cases,” it read.
Following the conclusion of
the court cases and the delivery of the judgment clearing the way for the panel to
complete the selection process, the logical step is for the Ministry, as the facilitator of
the Selection Process, is to re-convene the panel to complete its work and deliver a
report with the selected names to the CS to gazette;
The four “re-appointed” former council members applied and were interviewed by the panel and are part of the team applicants whose fate was tied to the stalled process.
The four, like all the others, MUST wait for the conclusion of the process. The ICT
Ministry CS is required by law to act on the basis of recommendations from the selection panel and can only gazette the names of those duly selected. Any other process outside the law such as this current action is not only illegal but mischievous.
We note with concern the process by the ICT Ministry to set up a new panel. There is no information communicated publicly or to the panel and the nominating bodies indicating that the previous panel has been disbanded. Setting up a new panel without this formal communication constitutes disrespect to not only the esteemed members of the panel but also the nominating stakeholder organizations.
We strongly protest against some officers within the Media Council Secretariat who are trying to lobby or intimidate stakeholders including trying to influence nominations to the new panel.
This confirms our fear that they, and others are intent and determined to
manipulate the process and its outcome.
KCA warns that it will not accept any such
overtures designed to undermine the selection process as provided for by the Act.
The “re-appointment” and the follow -up process to set up a new panel to do partial
recruitment of council members as “a top up”, in our view, sets a dangerous precedent
and is illegal.
This not only creates unnecessary controversy and unease within the media sector but also undermines stakeholders’ confidence in the Media Council which is increasingly under state capture. In the circumstances, the MCK will cease to be the media regulatory body contemplated in Article 34 of the Constitution 2010.
In view of the emerging efforts to undermine the stakeholders and the Selection process, and recognizing that the re-appointment process has clearly violated the law and the practice since the Act came into being in 2013, KCA will NOT nominate any representative to the new panel or recognize the “re-appointed” Council members until the Ministry and stakeholders meet to discuss the matter and reach an amicable outcome that respects the law and the constitution.
We wish to remind the ICT Ministry and the Media sector that KCA already raised the red flag through a letter to the then CS Eliud Owalo, at the start of the selection process over a year ago, that was halted by the court cases.
We warned of spirited efforts to
undermine and manipulate the process by seeking to reduce the panel to a mere
conveyor belt and rubber stamp to produce a pre-determined outcome. In the letter, we
also protested against the advisory by the Attorney General which sort to bar members of different media/journalists’ organizations from applying and being selected as MCK Council members.
We have been vindicated and therefore will not be drawn into giving legitimacy to this charade.
We urge the CS to recall/cancel the gazette notice making the re-appointments, suspend the ongoing process to set up a new selection panel and any planned recruitment, and instead, urgently convene a meeting with the organizations listed in the Act who make up the selection panel and the broader media sector, to discuss the issues arising from the court cases and to streamline the selection process to shield it from any further interference, now and in the future.
We call on media industry stakeholders and other advocates of press freedom and civil
liberties to join in efforts to stop any actions by the Ministry, the Media Council
Secretariat, former MCK board members and any of their agents from undermining the selection process and holding the industry to endless controversies for selfish interests.
We warn that allowing selfish interests to manipulate the selection process to plant in
pliant council members will be a tragedy and a betrayal of all the gallant efforts over the years to set up a self-regulatory media framework and attendant efforts to secure
sustainable press freedom in Kenya. This must not happen at all.
