Why the media should smoke out the real enemies of devolution in Kenya

In any political process, the media plays a significant role in informing and unpacking issues to the electorate and the public at large, which role they have played well, albeit with sporadic lapses in Kenya. Media content in matters of public interest should be by design rather than default, be fair, accurate, comprehensive and informative. Needless to reiterate, balanced news and analyses affords citizens, candidates and political parties a public platform to express divergent opinions. Apart from the polling agency- the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)-which is currently grappling with credibility issues; it is also the media’s mandate, alongside that of observers, to monitor fairness and credibility of the electoral process.

When it suits them, the media contributes positively to the peaceful conduct of the electoral process, a role it accomplished successfully in the 2013 General elections but failed miserably in the 2007 General Elections. My thesis is that it is not enough to have a peaceful election; the aftermath of the elections must meet the aspirations, and socio-economic needs of the entire country regardless of the political divide that informed the polls. The media has a role to penetrate the national psyche and propagate the public’s agenda; but it has either played it with selective amnesia or set an entirely different agenda that is perhaps perpetrated by the paymasters ( the latter include media owners and other gate keepers in the industry).

In the run-up to the polls, the country had just entered into a new constitutional dispensation, with economic devolution as one of the main agenda if not the central agendum. Unfortunately, the populace was so indoctrinated to a centralized system of governance that they are yet to fully understand the gains of a devolved system, let alone a bicameral chamber in the National Assembly. The trouble with our politicians is that they are such self-seekers that their vested interests would not allow them to empower the masses. The philosophy behind such selfish attitude is that it is easier to manage a hungry person than one who is well fed and contented. So much so that any politician who seems to advocate aggressively for the empowerment of the masses is automatically branded a Communist or Socialist for that matter.

Kenya’s history is replete with injustices, especially economic ones. Fifty years after independence, there is nothing to write home about. There are thousands of street families, unemployment is sky-rocketing, the country is even more divided along ethnic lines than before, neo-colonialism has reached fever pitch, the land question has not been spared, disenfranchisement is evident owing to a bungled electoral process, and the sharing of the national cake is far from equitable. In short, the very poverty, ignorance and disease that the founding fathers sought to eradicate, are still sitting squarely amidst us! These challenges are what informed the clamour for the Second and Third Liberation that never was; as well as a devolved government so that the entire nation could have a piece of the pie, a situation that a section of politicians who are proponents of the status quo are fighting tooth and nail to derail.

It is emerging that media practitioners tend to align themselves to political bigwigs. In the current political scenario, there are only two formidable political camps-the proverbial ‘two horses,’ the rest being ‘donkeys.’ Even as the nation continues to be polarized towards the two political giants-CORD and Jubilee Alliance, the media should take a very neutral stand and concentrate on the nation’s collective good. There is the temptation to dedicate so much space and airtime to the prevailing intrigues, infighting and brickbats hurled by the rival camps against each other. The National Assembly, for instance, has turned into a circus, but is at best a boxing ring where the ‘Mpigs’ tear at each other’s throats on parochial interests at the expense of substantive national agenda. For instance, during the debate on the Media Bill 2013, CORD MPs walked out of the Chamber, just to show their nemesis that “they cannot always have the tyranny of numbers.” Hogwash! In the same vein, the local Press has joined the fray or simply prints and airs the battles of supremacy with glee, instead of sticking to fundamental issues. There can be no meaningful economic or constitutional gains in Kenya since the august house has been infiltrated by ‘flamethrowers.’ In the Words of American social critic and satirist, George Carlin, “The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, ‘You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m not close enough to get the job done.’’” Who’s fooling who? Who are the flamethrowers in the divided House?

For a country that has been declared one of the most unequal in the world, at least in economic terms, the least our leadership can do is make a career of bickering and hen pecking. Our media is quite vibrant-actually one of the most vibrant in the continent-and so when the three Estates of the government seem to be dithering, it has to take the lead as the Fourth Estate and save the nation from the jaws of mediocrity. Look at the passion with which the Press called for ‘peace’ before, during and soon after the pools. The message sank deeply and despite the challenges posed by the alleged irregularities in tallying of the presidential votes, Kenyans largely kept an uneasy calm, and did not pour into the streets to cause mayhem as was witnessed in 2007/2008. The media played a crusading role,a classic case of peace and conflict-sensitive journalism.

I had a chance to attend several capacity-building workshops aimed at empowering members of the Fourth Estate with the requisite skills to report in a way that fosters peace rather than fuel violence- a departure from the partisan election coverage of the past. Now that is not the kind of journalism that would necessarily grip most readers and, well, attract the advertisers. Nonetheless, it is the media’s moral obligation to publish such content. What is not sensational, unfortunately, does not sell like hot cakes. In typical Western media parlance, “If it bleeds, it sells.” Again, what sells is not necessarily what builds this nation in terms of economic wellbeing, social cohesion or national integration.

Right now the story dominating newspaper pages and airwaves is certainly not how the country badly needs devolution or how the county governments can make a devolved system a success story. Rather, the big story is the incessant rivalry between the political bigwigs in CORD and Jubilee, and how they disagree on almost every policy issue under the sun except, of course, their salaries and emoluments, a bad precedent. When Leader of Majority in the National Assembly, Adan Duale, waxes lyrical about those who are still smarting from a poll loss, oh boy, the media goes gaga!

Even though a devolved government is touted as the most ideal form of governance for Kenya, given the backdrop of historical injustices, it remains an enigma to most of the very leaders who are supposed to implement it. As far as devolution is concerned, majority of the citizenry have no clue what it entails. As a matter of fact, some just see it as CORD leader Raila Odinga’s pet subject and wonder what the hullaballoo is all about. Hence, people tend to support, sympathize with or condemn it as ‘too expensive for a struggling economy’ based on their side of the political divide.Never mind the fact that devolution is a constitutional requirement and not the subject of a given party’s manifesto. Come to think of it, the debate as to whether to give Standard One pupils a laptop as enshrined in The National Alliance (TNA) Party manifesto seems to be stealing thunder from devolution in terms of media coverage!

By default, Nation TV gave the 47 counties extensive coverage in the build-up to the historic 2013 General Elections. This shed some light on the benefit of devolution-again by default? At least viewers were able to see that every county is unique and well endowed with one economically viable natural resource or the other. That the proper utilization of the diverse resources would result in a synergy that would ultimately reposition Kenya as a formidable economic powerhouse in the African continent is not in doubt. Some critics claim that the much vaunted NTV ‘County Editions’ were not necessarily borne of patriotism or crusading for devolution but were a subtle attempt by the Nation Media Group to tease investors to advertise as the popular series were aired or published. Well, that is a matter of conjecture. The other major media houses, notably Royal Media Services and the Standard Group, soon followed suit with similar programmes- more as a ‘me too’ mentality than a civic duty.

However, readers and viewers expected follow-up progress reports after the polls, how to make the best of the system and how to surmount budgetary and logistical challenges, now that a smooth transition is becoming elusive by the day in most of the counties. The local Press may have its flaws, but Kenyans still have a fair share of faith in the media as a credible source of information. The media must rise to the occasion and embrace this goodwill as it did to rally the nation-irrespective of sectarian and ethnic interests-to donate food and cash to the Turkana who were ravaged with hunger and thirst in 2011. If there is glaring disparity in apportioning national resources, the Media has a role to blow the whistle, educate the public and complement the efforts of civil society. They have a right to give a blackout to the real and perceived ‘enemies of devolution.’

However, it is not too late to make amends so that the idea and practice of a devolved government works accordingly. What matters is political will. Even President Uhuru Kenyatta has acknowledged that devolution is facing challenges. In a dispatch sent to the newsrooms by the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU) on July 23, 2013, the President, in a State House meeting with Cabinet Secretaries and Senators, urged the latter to work in tandem to ensure successful implementation of devolution. “Institutions charged with responsibility of devolving structures to the counties must manage the process in such a way that services to wananchi are not disrupted and are in conformity with the constitution,” the President said.

The President further pressed for partnership between all stakeholders to overcome teething problems, even as he called on Senators to enlighten the public on the challenges faced in implementing devolution and the efforts made to dissolve them. Meanwhile, Deputy President, William Ruto, who was present at the function, added that the National Government is committed to the successful implementation of devolution and called for “a seamless working relationship” between the cabinet Secretaries and the Senators in transferring functions to county governments.

On July 25, 2013, the NTV posted on its Facebook page claimed that the process of devolution has culminated into a full-scale war pitting the Senate and the Governors’ Council on one hand against the National Assembly and the Presidency on the other. Meanwhile, a section of MPs criticized the governors for being restless and power-hungry. In a live interview with KTN the same evening, the Chair of the Governors’ Council and Bomet Governor, Isaac Ruto, said the real enemies of devolution are “elements within Central Government that are used to keeping resources to themselves.” While the government has vowed to ‘support’ devolution both governors and the Senate claim it is under threat. The Constitution states that 40% of the National Budget should be allocated to the 47 counties but Ruto claims only 15% has so far been disbursed, and he is reading mischief considering that the Government also intends to retract some of the basic functions that had earlier been delegated to the counties like healthcare. The war has just begun, but the media is yet to interrogate these issues on a serious note. It is worth asking, for the umpteenth time: Who’s fooling who amid these altercations?

Like multi-party politics, devolution is unfamiliar, multi-tiered and complex. Implementing it requires a high degree of sobriety, not crude and cheap politics that audience members read, hear or witness in the local media. In the Kenyan scenario, implementing it would remain a challenge now that the National Assembly, especially the Lower Chamber, is degenerating into a theatre of the absurd. Politicians are yet to shed the election fever and concentrate on the task delegated to them by the electorate and for which they have sworn with the Scriptures. What will make implementation of devolution tricky is the prevailing suspicion in a polarized political leadership, so much so that even the top leaders’ call for ‘partnership between all stakeholders’ and ‘a seamless working relationship’ are remote possibilities, unless a miracle happens to get the country out of the woods.

The Swahili have a saying that when two bulls are fighting, it is the grass that is trampled upon and injured in the scuffle. So who will speak for the ‘grass?’ The media, the media, and the media! It is the only remaining voice of reason that can speak for the voiceless. If the Media Breakfast at State House is anything to go by, then we need to see collaboration between the State and the Press in crusading for causes that will make the ordinary citizens, who form the bulk of the populace, live decent lives. The media was hailed as playing a critical function in society. I expected to see a harmonised priority list produced by the Editors’ Guild, and the National Government on specific all-inclusive areas of collaboration. It appeared more like calling a truce and cajoling the media to ‘take things easy’ with journalists jostling for space for a photo shoot next to the Big Man. Circus!

The President has no time and space to run around the country preaching devolution but his goodwill is important; and he has foot soldiers to do the legwork. There should be a deliberate publicity campaign to educate the masses on devolution. Cabinet Secretary for devolution and Planning, Ms Anne Waiguru, must take the lead to mount a massive campaign to enable wananchi understand and actively participate in the implementation of devolution. Adequate funds must also be allocated as the Constitution dictates. Perhaps this will help dispel the allegation by the Opposition leaders that she was deliberately ‘planted’ in that ministry as a gate-keeper to ‘kill’ devolution. The state has several media platforms ranging from the Corporate Affairs departments of every ministry, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Government Spokesman, to the SPCU that is based at State House. These departments can liaise with the Independent and state-owned broadcaster, KBC, to roll out civic education on ‘ugatuzi’ (Swahili term for devolution). The bad rumour that devolution is a thinly veiled attempt to have a lame duck Presidency should be told to the birds. Over to you, the Kenyan Press Corps!

* Tom Olang’ is a freelance journalist and postgraduate communications scholar at Daystar University, Nairobi. [email protected]

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