between civil society, media lobby groups and the media is sporadic and issuebased. The intensity of engagement varies with issues to be advanced. However, media practitioners do not engage meaningfully in law making processes. They hardly even read media laws. At best, they only “cover” events discussing media law but do not participate in consultations. In this regard, they behave like “fire extinguishers” who rush to the “scene” of the issue when it has exploded in their own face. Examples are the street protests in early 2009 over the Communications Commission of Kenya Amendment Act, which by the time journalists took action, had already reached the final stage of presidential assent. The last two years (2007-2009) have seen improvement in the level of consultations on media legislation. Apart from the Communications Commission of Kenya, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Public Communication has constantly involved stakeholders in consultations/discussions on media legislation. Where information sources are concerned, there is a wide range of information sources accessible to citizens, as more print and broadcast outlets have come up. In the broadcast media there are around 80 radio stations plus some pirate radio outfits. Of the 372 radio frequencies allocated, 233 are being utilized. The entry of internet on the media scene has increased the range of information sources and accessibility. Broadcasting legislation has been slow on reforms. It has now defined three tiers of broadcasting, namely public, private and community, and also differentiates the roles; identifies the license conditions and obligations of each category of broadcaster. The legislation designate Kenya Broadcasting Corporation as the Public Broadcaster established by an Act of Parliament CAP 221 of the Laws of Kenya, to undertake public services, and assume the government functions of producing and broadcasting programmes by sound or television. The KBC Act provides for balance and editorial independence. The 1997 Inter-parties Parliamentary Group (IPPG) reformed the law to provide for balance in the coverage of political parties. In practice editorial independence has not been visible. After the Kenyan 2009 Media Barometer took place, the Ministry of Information and Communication enacted the Kenya Communications (Broadcasting) Regulations 2009 whose objectives include: protecting the rights of those who cannot protect themselves, as well as discouraging the incitement of the public as witnessed in post election violence, and are in tandem with political reforms. These Regulations have caused discontent among various stakeholders, with some calling for their revocation. The Media Owners Association (MOA) feel strongly that the restriction of a media house to one frequency in a region (not defined in the regulations), and quotas for local content should be withdrawn. MOA also says that the rule on cross media ownership is not in tandem with the global best practice and would stifle returns from present investments and discourage future AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER KENYA 2009 5