Debate team assures presidential candidates of fairness
From left: Usawa Agenda Executive Director Emmanuel Manyasa, Kenya Editors Guild President Churchill Otieno, and Nation Media Group and Media Owners Association chairman Stephen Gitagama during the signing of presidential debate 2022 partnership on June 9, 2022 at the Sarova Stanley Hotel.
The Presidential Debate 2022 Steering Committee has distanced itself from bias against candidates, saying the debate has no control over what is aired or published by media houses.
Instead, it has assured the candidates of fair coverage during the debate, and that it would ensure their manifestos reach every Kenyan who will use the debate to make their decision on who to vote into office.
This was during the signing of the Presidential Debate 2022 partnership with Usawa Agenda in Nairobi yesterday, when the chairperson of the Media Owners Association, Mr Stephen Gitagama, said the plans for the debate which began six months ago were going on.
He also said the presidential debate would be better than the previous debates held in 2013 and 2017, and that the steering committee would announce the exact date of the debate, which is set to happen in July.
“This debate gives the candidates an opportunity to talk to Kenyans, to share their agenda and tell them what they want to deliver and also for Kenyans to ask questions and reach the candidates who want to be their next president,” said Mr Gitagama, the group CEO, Nation Media Group.
He denied claims that the presidential debate was biased against certain candidates as expressed by the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, saying the Presidential Debate 2022 is not being done by an individual media house, but it was a partnership of three entities -- the Media Owners Association, the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) and the Media Council of Kenya (MCK).
What airs in televisions
This is after Kenya Kwanza’s United Democratic Alliance party, whose presidential candidate is Deputy President William Ruto, claimed the presidential debate would be biased against its candidate and that it had advised Dr Ruto not to take part. The party listed media houses that it believed were working against its candidate.
“The presidential debate does not dictate what airs in televisions, or is published in newspapers or digital platforms. The debate does not influence what is being aired now. Those two are very separate entities,” Mr Gitagama said.
Mr Churchill Otieno, the KEG chairperson, said the guild would ensure the debate is professional, with the sole interest of enabling Kenyans to access credible and accurate information from the candidates and be able to make their choices.
Mr Otieno said the steering committee of the Presidential Debate 2022 brought together a panel of editors comprising editors-in-chief and managing editors in media houses and that the team would lead the content aspects of the debate.
“They do that while standing on very clear pillars on ethics of journalism and ensure every candidate gets the coverage they deserve and make sure their manifesto is well explained to Kenyans. They will ensure the debate is a platform that offers Kenyans information they can use to decide their next leaders,” he said.
He also said the steering committee had shared with all presidential candidates the guidelines on how the debate will be run.
Presidential bids
Should any candidate feel that media houses were biased against them and their presidential bids, the KEG boss said, Kenya has very clear laws that guide media houses and also outline what should be done should anyone feel unhappy with how media houses perform.
He added that the Presidential Debate 2022 does not participate in the decisions made in newsrooms on news coverage, and emphasised that the debate and the running of the newsrooms are two different issues.
“All newsrooms are approachable, but if for whatever reason, one feels that he/she cannot approach any of these newsrooms, there is the complaints commission at the MCK where there is a competent team to determine those issues,” Mr Otieno said.
Usawa Agenda Executive Director Emmanuel Manyasa said the organisation had entered into the partnership with the Presidential Debate 2022 to check what the candidates’ plans for education were.
Dr Manyasa said Usawa had been monitoring campaigns and was greatly concerned with how education matters are being neglected and pushed to the periphery when politicians discuss plans for the country.
This, he said, was dangerous, particularly with the country transitioning from the 8-4-4 to the competency based curriculum.
“Education should be at the centre of the debate because it determines the future development of our country and from that, we want to be part of the presidential debate and make sure our presidential candidates are telling us exactly what they will do to protect the rights of children in matters of education,” he said.
