The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has urged media staff directly linked to political parties or aspirants to resign in order to avoid bias during the election period.
In a statement, the authority’s Director General Ezra Chiloba noted that any persons from newsroom operations seeking elective seats or involved in political campaigns be barred from day-to-day operations of the media stations not to interfere with the independence of the media institutions.
“If a person working on programmes for a station becomes a candidate or is employed or retained in any capacity by a political aspirant or a political party, he/she shall go on leave for the duration of the election period or his employment may be terminated by the station,” Chiloba stated.
He also recapped that journalists seeking elective seats during the August polls should resign by April 9 as required by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ensure objectivity in media houses.
“Therefore, the Authority requires broadcasting licenses to ensure that aspiring candidates associated with or employed by their stations take the required leave of office by 9th April 2022 as gazetted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” he said.
Several journalists have shown their intention to vie for different elective seats in this year’s general elections.
At the same time, a section of media houses issued memos to their staff to resign if they intend to participate in the exercise.
CA has also requested media houses to provide equitable coverage to different political parties without bias as provided in broadcasting regulations.
“Uphold the democratic principles of our nation especially during the electioneering period by providing equitable coverage and opportunities to political parties and candidates and ensure that broadcasting platforms are not misused to propagate hate,” Chiloba stated.
