Presidential debates to take place in July 2022 ahead of August 9 General Election

The Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) has announced that the first presidential debate will happen on July 12, 2022 and the second on July 26, 2022 leading up to the August 9 General Elections.

KEG President Churchill Otieno spoke during the Kenya Media Stakeholders’ Working Group (KMSWG) consultative meeting with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in Mombasa on Monday.

Mr. Otieno said the guild will in October this year also educate people on their rights and their duty to hold politicians, political parties, and candidates to account throughout their tenures.

“We are creating structures to ensure free flow of information on elections in ways that promote editorial independence. To this end, we will today put in place a joint taskforce whose key mandate is to ensure media operations are supported in a predictable and accountable manner,” he said.

“The media will shortly release an updated Election Reporting Guidelines and proceed to mount election training across the country to prepare ourselves for the assignment. The trainings will seek to elevate reportage to a standard that emphasises verification; sensitise on the rights of journalists and the media in political and democratic processes; and empower journalists to interrogate issues, to seek information, and safeguard their role in society as frontline human rights defenders.”

Mr. Otieno further called for vigilance to protection of public rights, citing the recent uproar from members of the public upon finding out that they were unlawfully added as members of political parties using their private data without their consent.

“That this is possible, and can happen without a swift and effective reaction from the Data Commissioner and from the entirety of our criminal justice system, is a major alarm bell. Vigilance on the rule of law, and protection of public rights, must be constant and unflinching,” said the KEG President.