Raila waving at media owners and senior editors at a breakfast meeting in Villa Rosa Kempinski, Nairobi, June 5, 2017. [Photo: the-star]
The National Super Alliance (Nasa) presidential candidate Raila Odinga has promised to boost media freedom if elected Kenya’s 5th president in the August 8 elections.
Speaking at a breakfast meeting in Nairobi, Wednesday, Raila assured media owners and senior editors that if Nasa forms the next government, he will continue to champion for media rights as he has always done in the past.
The Opposition leader accused the president Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee government for trying to silence the media.
“The Jubilee government has been making every effort to muzzle the media and this is unacceptable. We believe that the media should be allowed to operate in a free environment,” Raila said.
On their part, the media fraternity led Standard Group CEO Sam Shollei, Wachira Waweru of Royal Media, Joe Muganda of Nation Media Group and Patrick Quarcoo of Radio Africa assured the Nasa flag bearer that they will cover the forthcoming election in a transparent and fair manner.
“We are all trying our best to give all candidates fair coverage and we would like to hear your position on the outcome of the election. Would you concede defeat if you lost election? Waruru asked.
The ODM leader maintained that he will concede defeat if the elections will be conducted in a free and fair manner.
“I have been saying this that in the unlikely event I will lose in a free and fair election I will accept defeat,” said Raila.
The current government has in many occasions been accused of trying suppress the press freedom through coming up with laws that seem to undermine the media space.