The Role of Mass Media in the Devolved Governance System of Development in Kenya. A Case of Kisii County

Abstract

Media reports indicates that majority of Kenyans don’t fully understand the Devolve System of Governance. Mass media plays and integral role in informing and educating the citizens the expected beneficiaries of devolve government services. The study focused on the role of mass media in the devolved governance system in Kenya during the period after promulgation of the constitution of Kenya, 2010. The study seeks to assess the knowledge gap in the government, leading to misconceptions about devolution, among the Kenyan public. The specific objective of the study is to examine the knowledge gap among the Kenyan publics on the devolved governance system and the contribution of mass media in informing and educating its audiences. The study is guided by the agenda setting theory. The study was taken in Kisii county which is one of the 47 devolve units in the country with locals forming the target population. The study adopts the descriptive survey design. A sample of 160 respondents aged 18 years and above was sampled through cluster and purposive sampling. The data was collected through structured interviews, and questionnaires. In conclusion this project, by closely examining the role of mass media in Devolved Governance, shed light on the critical contribution of the media towards the success of this constitutional dispensation by highlighting challenges and how they can be addressed going forward. The findings established that the media has remained steadfast in its three major roles of Watchdog, Agenda setting, and Gate keeping.