Mediating democracy: Political communication, disinformation, and electoral contestation in Kenya

Abstract

The role of the media, both traditional and digital, proves pivotal in Kenya’s elections, yet it operates within a highly politicised and sometimes repressive environment. This chapter explores the challenges posed to mainstream media houses and their alignment with power elites, due to the emergence of social media platforms as robust alternative spaces for political engagement. The analysis notes that these platforms offer space for greater public interaction and interventions into the information environment. However, there are also significant downsides due to the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information. The analysis also finds that whereas the internet has been celebrated as a more liberal and egalitarian information platform, there remains evidence of the normalisation of power relations. In Kenya we find the interests of the power elites still hold sway as they have the wherewithal to dominate the online information environment and appropriate divergent voices through orthodox and unorthodox means