Raila has the most media coverage, Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has appealed to journalists to practice balanced reporting, especially in this electioneering period.
According to an analysis conducted by the MCK on media coverage in ongoing political campaigns, Azimio la Umoja’s presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, has the most media coverage.
Raila Odinga leads with 61.2 percent media coverage, followed by Kenya Kwanza flag bearer William Ruto with 38 percent, and Roots Party George Wajackoyah with 0.5 percent coverage.
MCK Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo says the regulator saw a need and urgency to conduct the analysis after one of the presidential candidates complained of being sidelined by the media.
“The analysis was conducted between April and June 2022, whereby we took newspapers, radio, and several TV stations and checked what amount of time each candidate had been accorded,” Omwoyo said.
As for running mates’ coverage, Martha Karua (Azimio la Umoja) had coverage of 78.8 percent, Rigathi Gachagua (UDA) 20.99 percent while Justina Wambui (Roots Party) had 0.22 percent coverage.
Four candidates have since been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to seek the presidency. They are William Ruto, Raila Odinga, George Wajackoya and Waihiga Mwaure of Agano Party.
“The four candidates who successfully secured clearance for the presidential August polls at an overall 96 percent mentions of the total presidential candidates’ publicity from April 22 to June 7,” read an excerpt of the report.
“Apart from Jimi Wanjigi who had been on the media limelight all along, the rest of the candidates who were not cleared, secured media coverage during the clearance period.”
However, since mid-June, MCK says there has been increased coverage of Kenya Kwanza, in some cases overtaking Azimio, particularly on radio. “However, overall- Raila still leads in media space consumption,” Omwoyo noted.
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In conclusion, Omwoyo commended the increased fairness, “though media is improving in terms of balanced coverage, Omwoyo said there is room for improvement. “We are not where we are supposed to be.”
