• The media must lead the war against incendiary speeches and reckless publication of information that has not been verified.
• Hate speech and fake news must be blocked and trashed as soon as the editors so establish.
The race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta is entering a critical stage.
Deputy President William Ruto and Raila Odinga have been cleared by the IEBC.
Their teams will be fighting tooth and nail to manufacture the one line of attack, most likely an overzealous blow, to discredit their rivals.
The verbal or even physical war will often always be played out in the media.
In that sense, media is a key pillar in the creation of an atmosphere devoid of acrimony fanned by politicians blinded by narrow sectarian ambition.
The media must play its role as peacemaker by publishing fair, impartial and patriotic reports.
Hate speech and fake news must be blocked and trashed as soon as the editors so establish.
For live broadcasts, wise use of the delay mechanism must be put to use because politicians are normally aware they are live and when they intend to cause trouble, they can easily exploit such a loophole and plunge the country into chaos.
Media, being the watchdog of the public, owes it to its consumer’s duty of responsible reporting by silencing hatemongers, ensuring fair coverage of all aspirants so that no one will feel left out or aggrieved.
Elections come and go after every five years but the country remains and it is the only place all Kenyans, including media practitioners, call home. For this reason, they should act responsibly.
Lessons can be drawn from Justice Johann Kriegler's report (published after the 2007-08 chaos) found that media failed the nation when thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Kriegler noted media produced biased reports that polarised an anxious pockets of the population and set the stage for unprecedented mayhem.
A peaceful election is the result of efforts from various institutions such as the police and intelligence agencies to provide information in advance so the necessary action can be taken to avoid catastrophe.
Police must be alert and act quickly in arresting and prosecuting rabble-rousers.
A few days ago, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission identified potential trouble spots.
The media must therefore lead the war against incendiary speeches and reckless publication of information that has not been verified.