Media Council of Kenya (MCK) Chief Executive Officer, David Omwoyo on Wednesday evening, revealed that the council would launch a clampdown on media stations that host fraudsters.
Speaking during an event held to mark world radio day, he went on to decree that the new directive would take effect from Tuesday, February 19.
“We will be taking stern actions against media houses that host fraudsters because that’s deceiving Kenyans who listen or watch that particular station,” Omwoyo asserted.
He also asked media stations to be wary of the people they host on air, as according to the listeners, the stations are viewed as credible authorities and thus airing fraudsters would lead to peddling lies to the masses.
“People who believe in your station are likely to believe what is said by the people you bring on your platform, therefore if you bring a fraudster people will believe him or her,” he explained.
The MCK head went on to give an example of preachers allowed to go on air and claim to have cures for chronic diseases such as AIDS and Cancer.
Such wanton deceit would no longer be tolerated by the Media Council as they vowed to come down hard on such stations.
Omwoyo pointed out that although radio media leads in terms of reach, they still face challenges adding that most radio stations have very shallow talks and use vulgar language.
He affirmed that the council was focused on ensuring that media freedom was safeguarded but highlighted that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand.
