Media stakeholders are demanding urgent legal reforms to safeguard whistleblowers and investigative journalists, cautioning that a surge in threats, intimidation, and strategic lawsuits is crippling the war on graft
At an anti-corruption workshop for media practitioners in Nairobi this Tuesday, Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) President Zubeida Kananu noted that the current landscape leaves both journalists and their sources vulnerable, even when they act to protect the public interest.
While Kananu acknowledged that cooperation between the press and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has grown stronger, she pointed out that persistent legal and security loopholes still stall effective investigative work.
“When KEG and EACC signed the memorandum of understanding, we did not just sign a piece of paper. We signed a pact to protect the soul of this nation from the cancer of corruption,” she said.
Kananu noted that as corruption becomes more sophisticated, journalists and investigative agencies must cooperate more closely. However, she warned that intimidation and aggressive litigation frequently derail these efforts. She specifically pointed to the tactical use of the legal system to silence the press before stories even reach the public.
“We are witnessing a rise in strategic lawsuits against public participation, where powerful individuals use the courts to tie up journalists in costly legal battles even before a story is published,” Kananu said.
She advocated for a robust legal framework to shield both reporters and whistleblowers, insisting that the pursuit of truth should not come at the cost of personal safety.
“No journalist should ever have to choose between their life and their truth,” she said.
Africa Editors Forum President Churchill Otieno shared these concerns, portraying modern corruption as a more organized and adaptive force than in previous years.
“Corruption is no longer hiding. It is organised, it is networked, and it is learning faster than we are,” Otieno said.
He urged the media and anti-graft agencies to deepen their collaboration and move beyond simple, reactive reporting. Otieno challenged journalists to evaluate the impact and bravery of their work in the face of such a bold adversary.
“Are our investigative journeys growing in skill, in courage, in depth? Or are we becoming reactive and chasing headlines?” he asked.
Media Council of Kenya Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo called on institutions to provide active support to journalists by granting them access to information and ensuring their safety. He argued that the fight against graft depends on a press corps that feels secure in its role.
“We cannot ask journalists to expose corruption if we do not protect them,” Omwoyo said.
He took aim at the culture of secrecy within public offices, noting that withholding data directly sabotages efforts to reveal misconduct. He insisted that transparency should be the baseline for all government agencies when dealing with investigative inquiries.
“If journalists are following up on corruption stories, they should not be told ‘we are not at liberty to share that information’. That is the minimum we can do,” he added.
The forum also highlighted the growing danger of digital warfare. Participants pointed to the rise of artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and organized online smear campaigns as modern weapons used to dismantle the credibility of investigative reports.
Kananu warned that these tactics aim to destroy public trust before a story even hits the shelves, and she urged for stronger technical cooperation between newsrooms and investigative bodies to counter these high-tech threats.
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