The Kenya Correspondents Association has rejected the reappointment of four MCK board members, citing an illegal process that bypassed the required selection panel.
By: Ogonyo Centrine
The Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) has strongly criticized the reappointment of four former board members of the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), alleging that the move was carried out without adherence to the legally mandated process.
In a gazette notice dated July 25 and signed by Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, William Kabogo, the government announced the reappointment of Joseph Maina Muiruri as the chairperson of the MCK, alongside Susan Karago, Timothy Wanyonyi Chetambe, and Tabitha Mutemi as council members. The notice stated that the four would serve for a three-year term beginning on July 25, 2025.
KCA has raised alarm over what it calls a blatant disregard for established procedures. The association argues that the appointments were made before the formal selection process had been completed—a move they describe as unlawful and “mischievous.”
In a statement issued on Friday evening, KCA said a properly constituted Selection Panel had already been formed by former ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo to identify new members for the council. The panel had even conducted interviews before its work was interrupted by a series of court cases.
“Now that those legal hurdles have been cleared, the ministry ought to have reconvened the panel to resume and complete the process as required by law,” said Irene Nasimiyu, Vice Chairperson of the KCA Board.
She emphasized that bypassing the panel was not only improper but also amounted to undermining democratic principles in the governance of the media sector.
According to the KCA, the Media Council Act clearly stipulates that appointments to the MCK board must be based on recommendations from a duly constituted Selection Panel. By sidestepping this process, the association argues, the Cabinet Secretary has violated both the spirit and letter of the law.
“The Minister is not at liberty to act on his own discretion. There’s a clear framework guiding how council members should be selected, and that framework was simply ignored,” Nasimiyu said.
The 28-year-old KCA, which represents journalists and media practitioners from across the country, also accused unnamed officers within the MCK Secretariat of attempting to manipulate the process through lobbying and intimidation.
“There have been underhand attempts to sway the nomination process by influencing how the new panel is constituted,” read part of the statement.
KCA described these efforts as “desperate” and intended to serve sectarian interests at the expense of transparency and industry cohesion.
As a result of the perceived irregularities, the association has resolved not to participate in the current panel formation process, nor will it recognize the reappointed council members. This marks a significant step by one of the country’s oldest and most influential media associations in challenging what it considers an illegitimate process.
The association’s Chairperson, Araka Matara, echoed these sentiments, calling on CS Kabogo to immediately revoke the gazette notice and halt any ongoing plans to constitute a new selection panel under the current terms.
“KCA will not stand by and allow the media industry to be plunged into endless wrangles fueled by narrow, sectarian interests,” Matara said.
The association further appealed to all stakeholders in the media sector—including civil society groups and advocates of press freedom—to rally together in opposition to the appointments.
According to KCA, the integrity of the MCK and the broader media industry depends on safeguarding a transparent and participatory selection process.
“We must resist any attempts to erode accountability in media governance. What’s at stake here is not just a few board seats—it’s the independence and professionalism of the media industry as a whole,” the association stated.
As tensions simmer between the Ministry and sector stakeholders, the latest controversy throws the future of the MCK board into uncertainty, setting the stage for what could become a drawn-out battle over legitimacy and governance within Kenya’s media regulatory framework.
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