Love-hate relationship between Kenyan media, MPs plays out

MPs have blamed the deadlock over the legality of the Kibaki nominees on succession politics, saying, most lawmakers were only interested in pleasing their godfathers.

Mr Danson Mungatana (Garsen, Narc-K), Ms Rachel Shebesh (nominated, ODM) and assistant minister Lewis Nguyai, said focus on 2012 had led their colleagues to show loyalty to their political godfathers instead of being patriotic towards a law that two-thirds of Kenyans ratified.

“The interest that has been there is in making news; not supporting the process,” he said, accusing the media of emphasising what divides us rather than “those that will take this process forward.” Mr Mungatana lamented.

The MP said preoccupation with “coalition and personality politics” was “causing confusion” among Kenyans, while boosting careers of the politicians whose eyes are set on next year’s elections.

He accused the media of falling prey to interests bent on derailing Constitution. “I’ve no control over your editorial content, but for Christ’s sake, let’s support this process,” Mr Mungatana said.

“If we want to talk honestly about this Constitution, we need to re-look at our own editorial policies.”

He added: “I don’t listen to the radio, I don’t read newspapers and I don’t watch TV ... you just have to look at the games being played in Parliament and know what to expect. This country will not move forward with such kind of reporting.”

Speaking at a meeting with parliamentary journalists in Nairobi’s Sarova Stanley hotel, the MPs said some of their colleagues were bent on causing a logjam in the House in their bid to scuttle the roll-out of the new governance regime.

But Mr Peter Opiyo, the secretary of Kenya Parliamentary Journalists’ Association reminded the lawmakers that the media had a duty to report all that happens in the country.

“We have to report and expose the political schemes that go on in Parliament, because ultimately, they affect legislation on the floor of the House,” Mr Opiyo said.

He described the relationship between politicians and the media as “symbiotic”, adding, MPs should stick to core issues and avoid sideshows.

Mr Mac Otani, the organisation’s organising secretary, said the love-hate relationship between politicians and the media was unlikely to go away.

Ms Shebesh posed: “If I am inciting the public, who’s giving me the platform? It’s the media.”

The MPs cited Wednesday’s approval of the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Bill, 2011 as a milestone in the implementation process, and complained its coverage was perfunctory. (Read: No golden handshake for judges who snub vetting)

The platform

The Bill is the first one to sail through the House as it begins the implementation of the new law.

Debate has been going on between MPs and the media on whether their utterances, mainly politically inflammatory and sometimes silly incitement, should be covered.

But the dilemma the media houses have been having is whether to black out the utterances and be labelled biased and intolerant; or to air and publish the remarks in a bid to expose the politicians.

Sometimes, politicians raise these issues knowing that they’d be able to attack their colleagues and escape the camera’s scrutiny.