Building a Vibrant, Resilient Independent Media Ecosystem

Kenya’s media is frequently cited as one of the most vibrant and commercially successful of sub-Saharan Africa. State control of the media first began to loosen in the 1990s; most dramatically, the new constitution adopted in 2010 explicitly enshrined freedom of the press, spurring optimism that strong, independent news sources would be able to more effectively serve Kenyans and hold the powerful to account. Yet the media ecosystem today is struggling under economic and political pressures that undermine its independence. These include the need for sustainable business models, as the private sectors moves its advertising online, as well as the threat of government attempts to stifle public criticism and media scrutiny.

Given these challenges, Omidyar Network, which has long supported innovators in independent media throughout the world, wanted to understand how it could better support and help advance public interest journalism. Building on our previous partnerships, Omidyar engaged Reboot to conduct an analysis of the Kenyan media today. Our goals were to clearly identify the challenges and opportunities facing journalists and media actors, to recommend interventions specifically for Omidyar, and to encourage the broader media development community to engage in conversation and investment in strengthening Kenya’s independent press.

Reboot takes an ecosystem approach to media development. Recognizing that good governance requires not only information but also engagement and action, we identified the constraints and incentives that exist amongst journalists, editors, civil society partners, citizens, and government actors. Using this broad lens, we identified practical interventions with the greatest possible leverage.

Select services for this project included:

• Design Research

  Reboot conducted a three-week research sprint in Nairobi in late June 2017—a month before what would become a contested election, whose results were eventually thrown out by the Supreme Court. This context proved a rich time to observe the media’s strategies for public interest journalism and evaluate their relative success. We trained and worked with two local researchers (journalists themselves) to identify and engage with media actors in Kenya. Respondents included journalists and editors working with the dominant mainstream media houses as well as freelancers and entrepreneurs; we also spoke with a diverse range of Kenyan citizens and representatives from civil society.

• Strategic Advisory

  As Reboot synthesized research findings into strategic recommendations, we also supported Omidyar in designing and executing an event in Nairobi. Convening media professionals and supporters, we shared our findings and their strategic implications, solicited feedback to validate and deepen our work, and facilitated discussion on how various stakeholders could carry forward the recommendations. Following the event, we worked with Omidyar to hone in on the most impactful ideas for the organization to pursue.

The ongoing political tension arising from contested elections in Kenya has made this work timely and relevant. As a result, Reboot decided to augment the reach and impact of our research. With further support from the Hewlett Foundation, we increased the research’s geographic scope and produced an interactive website.

Our work showed that the sharp decline in revenue, paired with a number of “carrots and sticks” wielded by government actors, is undercutting the independence of media organizations. Despite these pressures, courageous journalists,editors, and entrepreneurs are constantly seeking new ways to protect media’s independence, experimenting with investigative journalism, alternative storytelling, crowdsourced content, fact-checking, and other ways to combat misinformation—all of which have the potential to contribute to a stronger media ecosystem. Reboot is now supporting Omidyar Network to design a new initiative to advance the truly vibrant, flourishing, independent media ecosystem that Kenyans deserve.