Why Raila and Karua enjoy more media coverage than Ruto and Gachagua

A new report by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has revealed that Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga continues to enjoy more media coverage compared to his main competitor, William Ruto with MCK boss David Omwoyo explaining the reasons behind this trend.

According to the MCK’s monitoring and research report on media performance on election campaign reporting, Odinga and his running mate, Martha Karua received 61.2 per cent coverage, while DP Ruto and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua received 38.2 per cent.

MCK Chief Executive Officer, David Omwoyo explained that the figures reflect how Kenyans consume news, noting that Kenyans like consuming Raila-Karua-related news hence their stories “sell more” than those of Ruto-Gachagua.

“For a long time Raila has been the best seller of news in the country hence he is viewed as the best newsmaker, his reemergence in the media space has excited many newsrooms. Deputy President William Ruto is also enjoying fair coverage,” said Mr Omwoyo explained during the release of the report.

Media Council of Kenya Chief Executive Officer and Secretary David Omwoyo Media Council of Kenya Chief Executive Officer and Secretary David Omwoyo Omwoyo Pulse Live Kenya

The report further details that George Wajackoyah of the Roots Party and his running mate, Justina Wamae enjoyed 0.54 per cent while Agano Party’s David Mwaure and his running mate, Ruth Mutua got 0.02 per cent coverage.

The report which was released yesterday (June 24, 2022) covered the period after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission narrowed down the race to four candidates.

Martha Karua beats Rigathi Gachagua in coverage

Martha Karua enjoyed more coverage among the running mates at 78.8 percent with news about her exciting many Kenyans while United Democratic Alliance’s Gachagua got 20.9 percent.

Wajackoyah’s running mate, Ms Wamae received 0.22 percent coverage while Agano party’s Ms Mutua received no coverage.

Roots party leader George Wajackoyah Roots party leader George Wajackoyah Pulse Live Kenya

According to the MCK CEO, most media house have been observing the codes of ethics in their operations and have been giving all candidates fair coverage.

The coverage of Kenya Kwanza peaked in June, overtaking Azimio particularly on radio platforms.

The report sampled more than 20 radio stations and established that the former Prime Minister had 8,992 stories aired while Ruto had 5,982 stories covered.

This translated into 865,665 and 549,338 seconds in airtime for Odinga and Ruto respectively.