ANALYSIS: The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Act was amended to reflect a balanced public broadcaster. However, in reality the station still shows bias towards the government and personalities connected to the system. Using the same medium, the Government Spokesman provides weekly briefs based on what he deems appropriate for public consumption. Great concern has been raised in the press over his refusal to release information to the public. This has been described as “Zero- information- policy (Zip- policy)”. The practice of reporting has generally improved. For example in conflict situations, there is now little pinpointing of ethnic identities of those involved. The law gives wide discretion to judges in deciding for example what innuendo is. The precedence of hefty fines against media houses has serious implications for the freedom of information. SCORES: Individual scores: 1, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3 Average score: 2.3 (2005= 1.4) 1.4 Entry into and practice of the journalistic profession is legally unrestricted. ANALYSIS: There are no legal restrictions. For a long time there were no educational and professional requirements for journalists. Thus artists with low education rose to newscasters and photographers. FM radio stations have continued this tradition. The stations, like other media establishments do not invest in professionals. There is no licencing of professionals for practice. At the same time it is recognized that licencing would exclude external correspondents and specialists who add variety and diversity to content. The Media Council of Kenya is encouraging professionalism through self- regulation for standards and training needs. The code of conduct and practice issued by the council aims at assisting the media in carrying out duties by establishing ethical standards for journalists. It is recognized that current trends in media diversity and segmentation engender competition among media establishments, with compelling attention to professionalism for survival. SCORES: Individual scores: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 2