Governors declare war on NMG for graft stories

The Council of Governors Wednesday threatened to pull adverts from the Nation Media Group following its sustained exposure of corruption in the counties.

The action by the governors sparked outrage, with Media Council of Kenya (MCK), the Media Owners Association (MOA) and the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) condemning it as a serious threat against the independence of the media.

Impending arrests

In a statement, CoG chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said they were unhappy with the Nation’s reporting of the impending arrests of Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Mohamud Ali (Marsabit), Amason Kingi (Kilifi), Alex Tolgos (Elgeyo Marakwet), Ali Korane (Garissa), Wycliffe Wangamati (Bungoma), Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Mwangi wa Iria (Murang’a) over alleged abuse of office and corruption.

“We resolved that henceforth, no county government shall advertise with the Nation Media Group until the situation is rectified. I therefore urge all county governments to immediately cease engaging with NMG merchandise and advise county officers about this until further notice,” Mr Oparanya said in the statement yesterday. In the most serious threat against independent journalism, the governors promised not to stop there.

“Any other media house that will carry salacious (sic) stories about governors without verifying and therefore misinform the public and portray the governors in negative light without any truth, will face similar treatment,” Mr Oparanya warned, going against every tenet of seeking redress against a media house.

Condemn 

Wednesday, MCK, the media watchdog, asked governors to follow proper channels to file their complaints against the Nation, if any.

“The CoG cannot on its own accord term the media as unprofessional. Such action amounts to taking the law into their own hands and proceeding to pronounce judgment on an issue it is not made to prosecute,” the council’s chief executive David Omwoyo said.

“The correct action would be for the CoG to lodge its complaint to the Media Council of Kenya to determine the matter guided by the ethical code of journalism appended to the media law in Kenya.”

The MCK said the move by the governors against the Nation Media Group “is meant to intimidate and bully East Africa’s largest media house into submission, and by extension ensure alignment with their agenda by other media houses.”

“Public money should never be used as a tool of control and manipulation by those entrusted with its usage. This supposed sanction by the governors calls into question the very process and rationale for financial decision making at the county level,” said Mr Omwoyo.

Press freedom

Governors, Mr Omwoyo said, “need to be cognisant of the fact that they are accountable for the public for the use of funds in their respective counties, and the public through the media have every right to question, hold them to account and even to hold divergent views than those propagated by their communications machinery.”

The Media Owners Association, on the other hand, said the action has the potential of setting a bad precedent in the engagements between public institutions and the media.

“The attempt by CoG to use commercial leverage to influence editorial outcomes is therefore not only unacceptable but also ill-advised in a constitutional dispensation that encourages freedom of media and transparency in public institutions,” MOA chairman Wachira Waruru said, asking the governors to channel their complaints against the media to the MCK.

Kenya Editors’ Guild said the governors’ statement amounted to “blatant threat against the media and a gross violation of media freedom and editorial independence”.

“We urge all media houses to ignore the Council of Governors statement with the contempt it deserves; and under no circumstances succumb to the threats, intimidation and blackmail contained therein.”

KEG Executive Council, headed by its president Churchill Otieno, called on CoG to “immediately withdraw the ill-advised statement without any precondition”.

“No offense has been established and therefore there is nothing to apologise for, correct or withdraw.” KEG told media houses.

Former Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen called out the governors for the statement.

“A story about governors is not about county. Does it mean County advertisements are dished based on the benevolence of individual governors? Why are governors interfering with procurement matters?” asked Mr Murkomen, who is also the Elgeyo Marakwet senator.

He added: “This statement is enough for the EACC to investigate these governors. They should not and must not use county resources as a shield against accountability.”