Kenya’s Departmental Committee on Communication, Information, and Innovation held a meeting today with the Cabinet Secretary for Information Communications and the Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo, to address various concerns in the media industry.
In the session, the Committee received submissions from the Ministry, giving answers to questions asked by Hon Ruweida Obbo (Lamu East) and Hon Samwel Atandi (Alego Usonga).
Hon Samwel Atandi (Alego Usonga) sought explanations on allegations of interference by the Ministry and alleged conflict of interest in the recruitment of Board members of the Media Council of Kenya.
He also raised concerns about the credibility of the recruitment process and the measures put in place to address the loopholes in the Council’s operations, which have resulted in court cases in recent years.
The Cabinet Secretary assured the Committee that the Ministry’s role in the recruitment process ends at the selection of the panel, and providing secretariat and technical support to the selection panel.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, the Ministry sought the legal opinion of the Attorney General on the eligibility of employees of media houses, civil servants, and representatives of media associations to sit on the board.
The office of the AG advised that it is illegal, and thus the Ministry has no role in the selection panel’s decision to shortlist the same people for the position on the Council’s Board.
The Committee questioned the Selection Panel’s decision to ignore the advisory of the OAG and went ahead to recruit new members.
Despite the current Board’s high rating of performance, the Ministry deemed it fit not to renew the Board’s term, which is also a point of concern.
Hon Obbo questioned the state of internet connectivity in Lamu East, which she says is still using 2G network while the rest of the country is on 4G.
She also sought to understand why some parts of her constituency have no internet connectivity or access to cellular mobile phone networks.
In his response, CS Owalo stated that the government is undertaking a three-phase upgrade of internet connectivity in 274 sub-locations across the country identified in the ICT Access Gap Study in 2021.
The areas identified by Hon Obbo are part of these areas undergoing the upgrade, with the third phase having kicked off.
“There are many court cases because people want to move in and run the media council because of the available resources, including money from the exchequer. What is the Ministry going to do to ensure independence?” asked Hon Atandi.
“At no point in time as a Ministry have we interfered with that process. Our role is strictly to provide technical support, which we have impartially done,” replied CS Owalo.
The Committee’s Vice Chairperson, Hon Alfah Miruka Ondieki (Bomachoge Chache), commended the Ministry’s efforts to improve internet connectivity in the country but called for the acceleration of the process to ensure that all Kenyans have access to high-speed internet.
The session ended with the Cabinet Secretary assuring the Committee that the Ministry is committed to ensuring the independence of the Media Council of Kenya and promoting media freedom in the country
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