On April 19, several journalists from different media houses reported news from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is conducting a peacekeeping mission.
From MREs (meals-ready-to-eat) to military trucks, embedded journalism revolutionised how information from conflict zones is shared by armies.
The practice is defined as when journalists are attached to military units involved in armed conflict.
Two or more independent media houses are usually selected to embed with the military. This allows media houses to tell the story as they see it and not as directed by the military.
The KDF is a contingent of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) which comprises armies of East Africa Community states.
The 8 journalists who have been embedded with the KDF include:
Seth Olale: He was embedded with Kenya Army units in the DRC representing. He was representing Citizen TV.
George Maringa: He was also in the DRC in April 2023 representing KTN News.
John Allan Namu and Mohammed Ali were embedded with the Kenya Army in May 2015 when covering the atrocities caused by Al-Shabaab on Kenya’s border with Somalia. There were at KTN at the time.
Michael Njenga was embedded with the army as part of Citizen TV in Somalia in December 2011. This was the year the KDF entered Somalia with the aim of bringing peace to Somalia and also maintaining peace in Kenya’s boundary with Somalia.
Yusuf Farah of KBC was in Somalia with the KDF contingent of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in October 2022.
Leila Mohamed and Mary Wambui from NTV were in Somalia in February 2023 following KDF units in ATMIS.
The benefits of embedded journalism include the fact that citizens get insight into military activities. This includes military life, jargon, traditions, and customs.
