Media influence on public policy in Kenya

Abstract

Many scholars argue that the media can influence policymakers – determining the policy agenda, framing issues, prioritising issues and, on occasion, setting the policy as well. It could be, however, that skilled policymakers exploit the media, so that the media in fact reflects the issues that policymakers want debated. This then poses an important question of whether the media does indeed influence the public policy process. The topic of media influence is widely studied in consolidated democracies but there has been limited research in consolidating democracies. This paper addresses both of these gaps – through exploring the extent to which the media influences policymakers in Kenya, a country perceived to have a moderately free press and one in which a range of interest groups vie to influence government and thus with a media likely to carry a range of competing opinions.

External influence on parliamentarians in Kenya

“…Whilst this may be true of politicians, it is less likely to be true of public officials who, at least in consolidated democracies, are more likely to become specialists in narrow areas of policy. Recent research in Kenya assessed the extent to which the media influenced public officials and concluded that the media secured the attention of policy makers and that there was a modest influence (Irwin & Kiereini, 2021) reflecting conclusions drawn by Walgrave and van Aelst based on studies in developed countries that “media power is extant but modest” (2016: 3). They see two broad types of information requirement: technical information, expert‐based, which explains the problem and may offer possible solutions and political information, which may include an understanding of societal opinion and differences of opinion.…”