Star newspaper head of content and editor-in-chief Charles Kerich has been appointed chairman of the Media Council of Kenya (MCK).
Kerich, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, beat three other candidates with stronger academic and professional credentials including Isaiah Kibet (who holds a masters), Grace Munjiri Mwendwa (Bachelor of Commerce), and Prof Levi Obonyo (PhD), who is a lecturer at Daystar University and pioneer chairman of the MCK.
Kerich replaces Peter Wakoli, whose term expired in November last year. His appointment was announced in today’s edition of the Kenya Gazette by the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and Technology Joe Mucheru.
According to the gazette notice, he will serve as chairman for the next three years. Other members appointed to the board are Veronicah Kuto, Violet Awuori, Julius Kinyeki, Ahmed Ibrahim, Rev Paul Munyalo Inuvu, Annette Okello and Elizabeth Limagur.
The appointment of yet another practising journalist is being seen a major victory for Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), which fronted Kerich for the position. “We just wanted a practicing journalist with hands-on experience to guide the media council,” said KUJ chairman Juma Kwayera. “The outgoing Council did not push for the interests of journalists and were amenable to state manipulation.”
Other practicing journalists who have chaired the Media Council in the past include Standard Editorial Director Joseph Odindo, who was then Nation Media Group’s Editorial Director, and Waruru Wachira of Royal Media Services.
Inside source say stakeholders, including Media Council were backing Grace Munjiri, a corporate communications expert and former member of the council and Communications Authority board.
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The selection panel for the council includes a representative each from KUJ, KCA (Kenya Correspondents Association), Editors Guild, Media Owners Association, Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Public Relations Society of Kenya, National Gender and Equality Commission, Association of Professional Societies in East Africa, Kenya News Agency (KNA), Consumer Federation of Kenya and the ministry of ICT.
However, the Editors Guild did not send a representative to the panel, which was chaired by KUJ, while the chairman of Media Owners Association Hanington Gaya was disqualified when he attended the first meeting since he had applied for the job.
Walking a tight rope
Kerich will be walking on a thin line at Media Council as The Star, the newspaper he leads, and its sister media outlets in radio have been a constant complaints targets by the public for breaching journalistic ethics.
MCK regulates the media and the conduct and discipline of journalists. The Council started as a self-regulating body in 2004 to regulate media industry in Kenya but transited through the Media Act 2007 and adopted co-regulation regulation approach, where board members and the Secretariat receive government funds but remain independent in their operations.
