The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) is lobbying for a KSh1.5 billion allocation to roll out an artificial intelligence-powered monitoring system aimed at strengthening ethical oversight in the media industry.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation on Tuesday, MCK officials argued that the council urgently needs to modernize its monitoring tools to keep up with Kenya’s expanding broadcast space.
A Rapidly Growing Media Landscape
CEO David Omwoyo told MPs that Kenya now has about 250 television stations, many of which broadcast in vernacular languages. He explained that the council’s current system – largely dependent on just 37 human analysts – cannot effectively track the rising number of outlets.
“This gap calls for an urgent and strategic investment in an advanced system capable of delivering comprehensive, real-time monitoring to safeguard ethical compliance,” Omwoyo said.
According to him, the proposed AI system would instantly flag unethical content, including content from vernacular stations that have historically been difficult to monitor.
84 Press Freedom Violations in Nine Months
Between January and September 2025, MCK documented 84 cases of press freedom abuses within the country.
The council indicates that 56 of them were physical assaults on journalists, most of them when covering anti-government protests and political demonstrations. The council further reported 16 cases of intimidation, eight of censorship, three arrests, and one abduction.
Male journalists bore the brunt of the attacks, with 65 cases compared to 19 involving women.
Police officers were blamed for the majority of the violations (65), while hired gangs accounted for 28. Government officials, including Cabinet Secretaries and county officers, were implicated in 15 cases. Protesters, teachers, politicians, a governor, and even a magistrate were also cited.
Parliament’s Role in Media Oversight
Committee chair John Kiarie stressed that Parliament has the duty to take an active role in shaping policies and regulations that direct the media sector.
“The narratives shaping our world today are increasingly driven by algorithms and platforms outside traditional newsrooms,” he told the committee.
“Parliament must strike a balance between protecting Kenyans from misinformation and upholding a free, responsible press.”
Preparing for the Next Elections
The committee resolved to work closely with the Media Council and the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST) with a view to making legislators more media literate ahead of the next general elections. It also called upon media houses to embrace digitalization to remain pertinent in an evolving information landscape.
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