Assessment of the Effects of Media to Political Accountability in Kenya: Case of Rongo Constituency.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of media on political accountability in Kenya: case of Rongo Constituency. The study was guided by the following objectives: 1) To find out if election mechanism is good for effective political accountability in Kenya, 2) To examine the effects of government transparency to political accountability in Kenya, and 3) To determine how political accountability in Kenya has been affected by the media participation mechanisms. The study applied a case study design. The target population was 50,606 Rongo Constituency residents above 18 years who had participated in at least one election or were to participate in 2017 general election. The study sampled 100 people and 87 of them responded. Both probability and non-probability methods were applied in identifying the respondents. Simple random sampling was used in selecting the data collection sites; 14 sub-locations were selected for the study. Primary data was collected through administered questionnaires and interviews while secondary data was through document review. Collected data was recorded on a database developed on Epi Info. Quantitative data was coded and entered into SPSS for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data using frequencies and percentages. Results were presented in form of frequencies and percentages. From the findings: on objective one; the majority of the respondents favored elections with term limits had motivations that drove them to vote, new the type of leaders they need, considered Kenyan media as independent and impartial during the elections, trusted information from media and this information influenced their decisions during elections, identified good service delivery, good relations with people, and political party strength as the three most important factors during re-election believed that the periodic elections have helped Rongo Constituency to have better leaders and that the local radio stations have changed the political dynamics of Rongo Constituency. On objective two; the majority of the respondents new the various government offices in Rongo Constituency mentioned radio as the most used mode of communication by these offices received government information on a daily basis, said the county the government provided them with information on a better way, said the information provided was reliable, timely but not comprehensive, said the availability of the local radio stations had made government information more accessible and this had improved their understanding of the government policies, projects, and daily operations. On objective three; the majority of the respondents said that broadcast media was the most convenient for them, new the radio stations and programs used for discussing issues affecting them, said leaders who participate in those programs discuss issues that are relevant, said that the common mwananchi was able to communicate with the leaders through the media channels and that they benefited from the discussions held on national televisions platforms, proposed various ways of holding their leaders accountable, and the majority of they preferred to share their information with the leaders over the media although the difference was very minimal.