The United Kingdom has said the Kenya's vigorous media is operating in a shrinking space due to lack of support.
Meanwhile, UK High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott on Tuesday launched the PROTECT Programme to support media freedom and its media environment in Kenya.
She and others spoke during the Kenya Editors' Guild Press Club Media Freedom in Kenya event held in Nairobi.
“The UK will defend and promote a free and fair global media, for all our sakes . We need journalists to be safe in their endeavor, working without fear of interference. And today I’m delighted to announce a new programme to support media freedom and the media environment in Kenya," she said.
The programme will support media in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa and it will be holistic, not jut involvinging training or mentoring individual journalists..
“Over the coming years we hope our PROTECT Programme will make an important contribution to media freedom in Kenya,” Marriott said.
It will give grants directly to journalists in Mombasa and Kisumu to support the production of data journalism stories. It will also provide grants to organisations such as the Mzalendo Trust, which monitors Parliament.
The UK acknowledged that despite the invasion of media freedom, Kenya, is fortunate to have a vibrant, diverse media, with well-trained journalists, determined to get to the truth.
This has been witnessed in some of the exposes during the Covid-19 pandemic that have brought to light financial wrongdoing that can cost lives.
Raising concerns, the chair of the Ethics and Media Freedom committee Martin Masai said individuals against media freedom were teaming up and growing daily.
He said some statements made by top officials in the government were mocking and degrading the media.
“ Journalists ought to be independent and impartial in the discharge of their duties. They should be judged for professional mistakes by their colleagues and not people in power , Masai added.
The UK High Commissioner said media freedom is the "heartbeat of a functional democracy".
She applauded journalists in their work to hold to account those in positions of power and authority.
“That is why I am here today to use my voice in support of all of you (journalists). Sometimes it will be in public, sometimes it will be in private, but our voice is here to support your endeavours, and the principle of media freedom in Kenya,” Marriott said.
As the country approaches the referendum and General Elections in the next 18 months., the UK envoy said journalists face a huge assignment to inform citizens of the issues as well as the politics.
Keep asking pressing questions to government officials hold them accountable, Marriott said.
Both called for more investigative journalism that takes time, weeks and even months to get to the heart of stories.
“You have to ask us (government officials) difficult questions and it is upon us to give you (journalists) the answers. That is how democratic societies work,”Marriott added.
(Edited by V. Graham)
