BROADCAST & FILM AFRICA, NAIROBI, 2008: Opening Speech by Raila Odinga, Kenya Prime Minster

Hon. Minister for Information and Communications
Hon. Samuel Poghisio
Your Excellencies the Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my pleasure to be with you at this very important occasion. I am told that this is the first broadcast, film and convergence conference of its kind in Africa. To our distinguished guests from all over Africa and beyond, Karibuni Nairobi. You are among friends.

This conference comes at a most appropriate time, when we are celebrating Freedom of Information Week. It culminates Sunday the 28th with the International Right to Know Day. I personally believe in the power of the media to propel the collective dreams of a nation to a prosperous future. I am convinced that a free and responsible media is an indispensable pillar of democratic governance.

The power of broadcast media, in particular, cannot be overstated. No other media outlet hits citizens with more impact than a broadcast station that delivers riveting pictures and compelling sound in real time. I am well aware of the inherent power of video and audio to transform people’s perceptions and to potentially steer them to a different course.

Many in this audience will recall my visit to the KTN offices on 3rd March 2006. It was right after that infamous raid on the station and their sister newspaper, The Standard. I went to KTN with scores of other leaders to show solidarity and support for press freedom.

Many Kenyans will remember similar experiences in the dark old days when previous regimes clamped down on free expression at whim. Today our country celebrates an expanded democratic space, largely because of an insistent and fearless media that helped bring about the second liberation that ushered in multiparty democracy in the early 1990s. Save for that one regrettable blot on our record in 2006, Kenyans should really be proud that today we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door.

Currently, one of our TV stations runs a commendable program, where the anchor goes out to the people in the provinces. Kenyans then watch in their living rooms unfiltered broadcast of real people – old men, women, youth, children – speaking their mind freely. They talk, uninhibited, about collective mistakes that nearly brought our country to its knees following the disputed elections last year. Without fear of victimization, people tell their own communities, their elected and religions leaders and their Government what they think is going wrong. And they suggest where they want leaders and Government to take them.

But even as we celebrate this democratic space, we must not forget that Kenya is emerging from the darkest period of our independence history. Ever since the disputed presidential results began to be played out live on our television screens, history is being made daily. We live in a transformed country where the instruments of governance have been radically recast. The Grand Coalition is an experiment never before undertaken in Africa. Never before have we seen a restructuring of the political process of this magnitude take place in a free Africa outside coups d’etat. As I said last week when H.E. Kofi Annan paid me a courtesy call, I am glad that Zimbabwe similarly accepted to swallow the medicine they initially thought was too bitter, but the only one that could bring relief to their nation.

I must say that the media, particularly broadcast media, played a huge part in bringing us to where we are. When the world watches in real time episodes of injustice, human rights abuse or bad governance, if the consciences of the perceived culprits fail to convince them to do the right thing and reverse course the international community is bound to rally to bring it to a stop.

Yet, the celebration of a free media must not be taken for granted. It is not a blank check for editors and producers. Because, an irresponsible media or one operated by untrained and unethical practitioners can unwittingly do more harm than a machine gun in the hands of a lunatic.

The just concluded Kriegler Commission that investigated what went wrong in last year’s General Election, noted that most of our radio stations lack training in conflict reporting or program moderation. The report said that talk shows and call-in programmes require media personnel who are versed in moderation and who are able to predict a change of tone that may lead to negative results.

While I do not wish to pre-empt cabinet deliberations on the report, I must say that more than other media outlets broadcast stations have the moral obligation to employ only well trained staff to run their programs. A broadcast quality voice or a face made for television must not be the only eligibility criteria for hiring program hosts.

Many of our media outlets fiercely defend their independence and demand acknowledgement of their authoritativeness, and rightly so. Independence is by far the most vital dimension of a free press. But if its contents are not authoritative, then the freedom of the press is meaningless. Because a free press without credibility is a contradiction in terms.

When I say these things, I do not mean to cast a patronizing shadow on media practice. Far from it. Last week on Saturday, a section of the press charged that the Government may not be keen on passing the Freedom of Information Act because – and I quote – “it would invite prying eyes and blow the lid off questionable deals hitherto shrouded in secrecy.”

This is a serious charge. May I state here that the Coalition Government has no intentions of standing in the way of this vital law. Last month, Information and Communication Minister said that the Government will re-introduce the Bill when parliament reconvenes next month. In July I made a similar pledge. This position has not changed.

If anybody knows the invaluable role that a robust Press plays in a democracy it is your Prime Minister. I believe that the media operates as a right, not as a privilege. I am aware of the unprecedented promise of this Bill. It will potentially open up to citizens all functions of government. It would henceforth be illegal to shield from public scrutiny systems like Government procurement that in the past may have become fertile grounds for shady deals. Kenyans would enjoy the right to information on issues regarding how money from the exchequer is used, such as the multi-billion shilling Constituency Development Fund kitty.

More importantly, in our current dispensation of a Grand Coalition Government without official opposition in parliament, the media would be better facilitated to act as an effective check on the three arms of Government.

But we would be looking to the media to set for itself high standards of integrity and reliability.

The Grand Coalition will also encourage new investment in the media industry and in ICT, as this conference promises to. I am happy to note that mid this month, networking infrastructure provider CISCO approved the establishment of Africa’s second premier academy training centre here in Nairobi. This makes Nairobi the regional hub for IT training. The skills that this academy will produce will be a perfect match for the rapid growth we expect in our ICT sector when the fibre optic cable launches next year.

All these should compliment media growth in our country. Kenya is in the process of expanding cable services to offer for the first time in this part of the world triple play services, comprising of the Internet, television and telephony in a single, cost effective package. With these developments, our broadcast media will presently be able to better utilise broadband Internet facilities, such as instant web-casting and You Tube. Kenyans abroad and the world at large will then stay abreast of affairs here practically in real time. This in turn should help propel to greater heights tourism, investment and the entire economy, not only in Kenya but throughout the region.

Finally, I want to urge that this rare exhibition in broadcast facilities should spur research and growth in local film content.

I wish our guests a fabulous stay in Nairobi. You are aware, I am sure, that Nairobi is the only major city in the world with a world-class national park that shares its border fence with the international airport and is 15 minutes drive from the city centre. I urge you to spare a moment to sample our rich heritage and renowned wildlife.

Thank you