Katiba Institute will convene a Senior Editors Forum on Devolution this month, bringing together senior editors and representatives from mainstream and digital media platforms to strengthen accurate, balanced and constitutionally informed reporting on devolved governance. 

The one-day Forum will provide an opportunity for senior media professionals to engage with constitutional experts and media practitioners on the legal, institutional and practical dimensions of Kenya’s system of devolution and their implications for media reporting. 

“Journalists play a critical role in shaping how Kenyans understand devolution and the work of the two levels of government. Through the issues they prioritise, the questions they ask and the way they frame stories, the media significantly influences public understanding of governance,” said Kevin Mabonga, Head of Communications and Knowledge Management at Katiba Institute. 

He added that accurate and constitutionally informed reporting was essential to enabling citizens to understand their rights, the responsibilities of national and county governments, and the mechanisms available to hold public institutions at both levels accountable. 

“Devolution is not just a subject for constitutional experts, government officials and/or journalists. It directly affects the daily lives of Kenyans through service delivery, access to resources, public participation and accountability. The public can only meaningfully participate in and hold government accountable when there is a clear understanding of how the system is designed to work,” said Dr Henry Paul Gichana, Katiba Institute’s Devolution and Research Lead. 

Devolution is one of Katiba Institute’s key strategic areas. Katiba Institute recognises the media as a critical partner in strengthening public understanding of Kenya’s constitutional system of devolved governance. For many Kenyans, the media remains a primary source of information about how government functions, including the roles and responsibilities of national and county governments, the delivery of public services and the accountability of public institutions. 

Since the implementation of devolution in 2013, media coverage has contributed significantly to increased public awareness of county governance, service delivery, public finance and accountability. However, some transformative aspects of Kenya’s constitutional architecture for devolved governance remain misunderstood or are occasionally interpreted and reported in ways that do not fully reflect their constitutional intent. 

The Forum will therefore focus on strengthening the capacity of senior editors and media professionals who play an important role in shaping editorial priorities, framing public discourse and determining how complex governance issues are presented to the public. 

Participants will examine Kenya’s constitutional design for devolution, including the objectives and principles that informed its adoption under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. The discussions will also explore the distinctions between decentralisation, deconcentration, devolution, and federalism, as well as the implications of different systems of multilevel governance. 

Other sessions will focus on transformative constitutionalism and devolution, intergovernmental relations and accountable devolved governance, and editorial standards in reporting on devolution and county governance. 

The Forum will also include practical case studies and an editorial review session, during which participants will examine selected media reports on devolution, identify potential constitutional inaccuracies and assess editorial framing, accuracy, balance and public-interest value. 

“Understanding the constitutional foundations of devolution is important because it provides the basis for asking the right questions and reporting governance issues in their proper context. Editors and journalists have a responsibility to go beyond reporting political contestation and to help the public understand the institutions, principles and systems that affect their everyday lives,” Dr Gichana said. 

The Forum is expected to contribute to enhanced understanding among senior editors and media professionals of Kenya’s constitutional design for devolution, improved reporting on intergovernmental relations and strengthened editorial practice in the framing and analysis of devolved governance issues. 

Ultimately, the Forum seeks to strengthen the media’s role as a critical partner in promoting informed public discourse, citizen participation, accountability and constitutionally compliant devolved governance in Kenya.