AN EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF BROADCAST MEDIA IN PROMOTING POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN KENYA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The primary goal of a political campaign is to win elections and secure political positions, whether at the local, regional, or national level. These campaigns often involve strategies to connect with voters, present the candidate's platform, and engage in competition with other candidates or political entities. Conceptually, a political campaign is an organized effort undertaken by a political candidate, party, or group to promote their agenda, persuade voters, and ultimately gain support for their candidacy or political objectives (Deborah, 2019).  Political campaigns includes a wide range of activities, such as public speeches, rallies, advertising, debates, canvassing, social media outreach, and fundraising.

Additionally, political campaign is important especially in a democracy and it is important to ascertain at  some  point  or  another  whether  the  supply  streams  are  constantly  flowing  in  order  to keep political awareness at an appreciable level (Kombo, 2017). Also, a series of experimental studies done to examine the impact of mass media advertising on political campaign have found positive effects. Ramirez and Ricardo (2015) and Michelson (2016) support this stand-point.  After  conducting  a  series  of  experimental  studies  on Hispanic  voters  in  Latin  America  in  2006,  Ramirez  and  Ricardo  (2015)  found  out  that grassroots mobilization efforts through the mass media can raise voter turnout while more impersonal tactics such as direct mail seem ineffective.

Broadcast media refers to the distribution of audio and video content to a wide audience through traditional broadcast methods, such as radio and television. It encompasses various forms of mass communication, where content is transmitted over the airwaves to a broad and often geographically dispersed audience  (Arowolo, D. and Aluko, F.S.2018). According to Kaid et al.  (2016),  the  broadcast  media,  in  conjunction  with  rising  educational levels, help to inform  and mobilize people politically, making them more knowledgeable and  understanding  of  issues.  While evidence from the Kenya indicates that extensive media coverage of elections can lead to political overload in certain individuals, causing them to steer clear of news and current affairs programs and cease purchasing newspapers as the campaign progresses. (Newton, 2019).

Further more, it is the political role of the broadcast media to restore people’s confidence in the transitional program. Mboho (2015) specifically identified the political functions of the media as creating and promoting political awareness, identifying and promoting civic responsibilities among the people and mobilizing the people toward the achievement at national goals. However, according to Kombo (2019) argues that community radio is a viable channel for rallying support among the rural populace for a number of causes; social, political, religious, health, cultural, etc. Similarly, the role  of the mass  media,  the  radio/television  in  this  case  cannot  be  over  emphasized,  as people  need  information  and  without communication  through  the  media,   vital  information cannot  be  easily  disseminated. Also, the broadcast media influence affects the order of presentation in news reports about news events, issues in the public mind. This theory, no doubt, still retains its steam till date.

Additionally, Paul Lazarsfeld and Robert Merton (2018) propounded the Status Conferral theory; the theory assumes that the media confers status on individuals by regularly featuring them. This simply means that the  broadcast media focus on those that are regarded as important personalities, it assumes that if they are not important, the  media  would  not  give  them  prominence  in  their  coverage. According to Onabajo (2020), radio as a form of broadcast media  is a vehicle for projecting personality through which it attracts and hold an audience. It is an efficiency instrument for getting a message to a large number of people at the same time. Also, Adekoya et al (2015) further explained that not been constrained by the barriers of time space, illiteracy, and electricity supply, radio is one of the ideal means of mass communication in both developed and developing societies because it is easy to establish, own  operate  and  maintain,  and  does  not  demand  much  intellectual  exertion  from  listeners.  It is capable of offering tutorial support and resources to stimulate discussions, reflections and practical learning on the socio-political activities of a society or a nation. In this way, people in far rural communities become active participants in political discourse. Therefore, a survey will be conducted in order to examine the role of broadcast media in promoting political participation in Kenya.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Chomsky and Herman (2019) state that an ideal broadcast media is meant to report events objectively,  allow  the  people  to  make  informed  political  choices  and  check  on  the government power through investigative journalism. However, this is not the case in many instances. Instead, the broadcast media has turned out to be a platform for the elite whose interests take precedence in news production. Also, news is often customized to align with the preferences of the privileged class due to the fact that a handful of affluent elites and major corporations own media companies. Additionally, they point out that media outlets rely on funding from advertising, which frequently originates from government entities and major corporations.

Additionally, “negative” or  “attack”  campaign  advertisement from the media drives people  away from  the  polls  in  large  numbers  and  also  breeds  distrust  of  the  electoral  process  and pessimism about the value of an individual’s own voice. Hence, it is in the light of these that the study seeks to examine the role of broadcast media in promoting political participation in Kenya.

1.3  Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to  examine the role of broadcast media in promoting political participation in Kenya. Specifically, the study will;

1.        Find out the extent the broadcast media facilitates the creation of political awareness in Kenya.

2.        Find out the extent the broadcast media stimulates and enhances the political interest of audience in Kenya.

3.        Find out the extent the political programs aired on broadcast media encourages political participation among audience in Kenya.

4.        Determine the extent broadcast medias are adopted for effective political campaign in Kenya

1.4 Research Questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

1.        To what extent does broadcast media contribute to the generation of political awareness in Kenya?

2.        To what extent does broadcast media stimulate and bolster the political engagement of the Kenyan audience?

3.        To what extent do political programs broadcast on media platforms encourage political participation among the Kenyan audience?

4.        How extensively are broadcast media channels utilized for effective political campaigns in Kenya?

1.6  Significant of the Study

An examination of the role of broadcast media in promoting political participation in Kenya will be revealed to the government at various levels, policymaker, politicians, strategists, the electorate, election managers, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC)   and  residents  in this study. It will additionally equip politicians with information necessary for building relationships for their future campaigns. Also,the political strategists be able to incorporate a social media communication strategy in their political campaigns.

Further more, the study will be revealed to the electorate as the information gathered will strengthen their levels of interaction and political participation processes. Also, the broadcast will to  Additionally, subsequent researchers will use it as a literature review. This means that other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. Invariably, the result of the study contributes immensely to the body of academic knowledge with regard to  an examination of the role of broadcast media in promoting political participation in Kenya.

1.7 Scope of the study

The scope of this study is boarded on the examining the role of broadcast media in promoting political participation in Kenya. Empirically, this study will disccuss the extent the broadcast media facilitates the creation of political awareness in Kenya, the extent the broadcast media stimulates and enhances the political interest of audience in Kenya, the extent the political programs aired on broadcast media encourages political participation among audience in Kenya and the extent broadcast medias are adopted for effective political campaign in Kenya.

Geographically, the study will be delimited to resident of Kiambu, Kenya.

1.8 Limitation of the study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed.

More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Broadcast: a radio or television programme or transmission.

Media: refers to various means of communication and channels used to transmit information, news, entertainment, and messages to a broad audience. Media can take many forms, including print, broadcast, digital, and social media. It serves as a vital tool for the dissemination of information, the shaping of public opinion, and the facilitation of communication in society.

Political Campaign: is an organized and strategic effort undertaken by a political candidate, party, or group to achieve specific political goals.

Politics: The activities involved in getting and using power in public life and being able to influence decision that affect a country or a society.

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