Kenya’s government is being sued by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the country’s legal professional association, for contracting a local newspaper to solely publish and distribute government advertisements through a weekly supplement. The LSK claims the move to centralize government advertising in the newspaper, The Star, will stifle media freedom and limit public access to information in contravention of several Constitutional provisions. The award of the tender raised eyebrows as The Star only controls 3% of newspaper readership in Kenya according to the Media Council of Kenya, compared with 56% for The Daily Nation and 22% for The Standard, both of whom also sought the government contract. The Star made its Tuesday edition, which contains the government supplement, completely free of charge in a bid to boost circulation.
SOURCE: SEMAFOR