FortySouth

The Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill, and by extension the Amendment Act, 2008 has for a while variously been misrepresented as the “Media Bill”. In fact, there is a Media Act contained in the Constitution, passed in 2007.

In Brief

The Act mainly establishes the Media Council of Kenya. It describes its membership, functions and powers. Within the Council, a Complaints Commission is established which deals with filed complaints against media entities.

What does it stipulate? Continue reading

It is reported that 249,856 out of 695,728 pupils that sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam in November 2008 won’t find placement in High Schools in the country. At the same time, the World Bank’s Africa Development Indicators 2008/9 noted:

Youth make up 36.9% of the working-age population, but 59.5% of the total unemployed, which is much higher than the world’s average for 2005 (43.7%)

Since the placement shortfall is a trend that has been on for several years, I couldn’t help but notice the correlation between the two events – a lack of higher education greatly impedes ones ability to obtain gainful and progressive employment.

What is curious is that no definitive programs, such as vocational training etc., are provided for by the government to cater for these pupils that are left out. Perhaps they’re not vocal enough about any that may be in existence?

I think if we’re serious about eradicating poverty and mitigating crime, it should begin with providing more educational opportunities for this generation especially, even for those that may not have done as well as they could have in this single exam. My sense is that these statistics will only burgeon in the years to come, with more children taking advantage of free primary education.

Update:

Here’s the official breakdown of HS placement:

The Nation figures the Government is slowly getting cornered between a rock (loss of political capital, amid talk of 2012) and a hard place (bad press locally and internationally).

I tend to think it’s more the latter. Many internationally syndicated columnists simply drank the Kool-Aid of media-muzzling wrought by some disingenuous local reporters, before doing some fact-checking, hence the bad rap the Government has got for championing the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act 2008. The Information Minister Poghisio and his PS Ndemo seemed genuinely surprised at the push back on the Act, like they’d been hit by a bus and now wondering what just happened. The Government Spokesman is peeved.

The Act has gone through the last stage in the legislative process, date of Commencement – January 2nd, 2009, but it has not yet been gazetted according to the latest release. The AG & Co. are asking for another memorandum from the Media Owners Association & Co. on what’s itching them on the two Acts.

What I’m wondering is what was contained in the original memo handed to Kibaki on MOA’s behalf by the Prime Minister sometime in December before he assented to the Bill?