A MARRIAGE ON THE ROCKS? They are both watchdogs of society.

The media and civil society have in this country played a critical role in promoting and defending the rights of Kenyans by acting as inspecters of those in positions of power and supplying information about their actions or mis-actions that affect the society which they serve. Scholars have written books and Journals on their relationship with some depicting the two as one. There is however a demarcation with the media acting somehow as a big brother in this relationship. It has always given the civil society a platform to promote and sell its agenda, demand social and political change, Challenge and pressuring political decision-makers and very importantly, recruit members with the aim of creating a critical mass that will help in pushing whatever agendas are on the table. The Media also benefits from this relationship however with journalists being able to quickly and easily find sources for their stories within civil society. A press conference by a civil will almost certainly get a good chunk of airtime on the electronic media, with the newspapers dedicating weekly columns for activists. We all know the famous or infamous to some, story of activist Okiya Okoiti Omtata. Mr Omtata is well known for chaining himself to the gate of Vigilance House, a stunt that made him friends with the camera. His activities in the civil society have since then almost always got media coverage. Recently Mr Omtata and a few of his colleges have been protesting against the misappropriation of billions of shillings at the Ministry of Education building. In one of their demos they were arrested and taken to court where while being charged, Omtata told the Magistrate to stop being used as a condom by a corrupt system

While this article is not about Omtata, it has for the last few weeks brought strong reactions from the Media. Veteran journalist Philip Ochieng and popular columnist Gitau Warigi are but few of the Journalists who strongly criticized Mr. Omtata and his activism tactics. And while Omtata is not a representative of the whole civil society fraternity, his case has been used by anti-reformers and others to undermine the role played by this important part of society At this juncture I pose some few questions. Is the civil society agenda still relevant to the media? And if it is, to what extent? And what is the future of this relationship between the two? This are some of the questions that a media roundtable organized by the Media Focus on Africa Foundation in conjunction with University of Nairobis School of Journalism, The Media Institute and Kenya Editors Guild will be seeking to address. The round table which is to be held at Alliance Franaise on Tuesday, 30th August, 2011 from 12.00p.m to 2.00p.m will be an informative and certainly lively event with experienced panelists from the media , civil society and a diverse audience interrogate the issue. The roundtable which is open to members of the public has had a break since April this year but is now back and is expected to be happening on a monthly basis. Andy Kaigua, the Senior Production Editor of the Standard weekend editions, Prof. Kivutha Kibwana an Advisor at the Office of the President and an outstanding human rights activist during the Moi era form a part of the panel in the forum to be moderated by Kwamchetsi Makokha. The other panelists are Dr.Joyce Nyairo the Media and Civil Society Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, Wilson Ugangu a Lecturer at multimedia university and Cyprian Nyamwamu the CEO of the National Convention Executive Council (NCEC).