MCK calls for accurate information ahead of 2027 polls

The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has urged for timely, precise, and accessible information before the 2027 General Elections, warning that information deficits can foster misinformation and erode public confidence. At the Information and Data for Accountability (IDUA) forum, MCK Chairman Maina Muiruri highlighted how digital platforms have created new challenges for combating misinformation, due to the creation of online echo chambers.

"Digital platforms built to connect us have also built echo chambers where misinformation spreads. They reinforce what we already believe rather than challenge us with what is true," stated Muiruri. Muiruri called on entities to voluntarily share information to allow citizens to cross-check claims against original sources, thereby reducing the prevalence of falsehoods.

"When institutions disclose proactively and citizens can check claims against original sources, falsehood has far less room to take root," Muiruri emphasized. Furthermore, Muiruri urged stakeholders to broaden information access while preserving its integrity. "Let us expand access to information while safeguarding its integrity.

Approach the digital landscape with curiosity, question what we encounter, and uphold the public’s right to know," he concluded. John Cox Lorionokuo, the Registrar of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, noted that entities entrusted with informing and educating Kenyans must ensure the information is accurate, timely, and disseminated through suitable channels.

"Information and not just information, but accurate information, availed at the right time through the right avenues, must be a constant deliverable by all institutions and persons charged with the mandate to educate and sensitize all Kenyans," Lorionokuo remarked. Lorionokuo stressed that access to reliable information is vital for democratic governance, service delivery, and public trust.

"Democratic governance, service delivery, and trust of Kenyans in service delivery relies on the extent to which institutions and those in authority are committed beyond words to promoting access to correct and timely information to the citizens," the Registrar observed. Lorionokuo advocated for proactive measures to ensure information accessibility and comprehensibility.

"We need to embrace proactive measures to provide access to information as required by law. We need to package information in formats that are both accessible and also comprehensible. We need to strengthen our institutional accountability and control measures for information management," he added. IEBC Chairman Erastus Ethekon highlighted that information access would be crucial for Kenyans to make informed choices during the electoral period.

"We recognize the right to access information, so that Kenyans can make objective decisions come election time," Ethekon asserted. Zubeida Kananu, President of the Kenya Editors Guild, stressed that access to information is an inherent constitutional right, not a government favor. "When credible information is missing, delayed, or difficult to access, we create an information vacuum," Kananu explained.

She added that: "For us, in the media, access to information is the raw material for verification. How do I fact check a claim when I cannot access the facts? How do I tell the public that something is false when the institution holding the authoritative information is silent?"