No good reason for State not to pay media houses

Audio By Vocalize

It’s puzzling that a government that threatens to switch off radio and television stations belonging to a media house over an unpaid licence fee is sitting comfortably on hundreds of millions of shillings it owes media houses.

That is the contradiction at the centre of the State’s shabby treatment of Kenya’s media houses, and Parliament has now made itself an accomplice in that injustice. The National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC) has rejected a Treasury proposal to clear Sh826 million in pending bills owed to eight media organisations, ostensibly because the claims are unverified. 

The money had been properly allocated in the Supplementary Estimates budget. The Treasury, no doubt, played its part, but the National Assembly rejected the proposal to allocate the money, a clear show of disdain for the Fourth Estate. 

But even as Parliament shot down the Treasury’s plan to pay media houses money lawfully owed to them, it approved staggering increases to the Executive. The State House budget surged by 129 per cent to Sh17.55 billion in the first supplementary budget, up from Sh7.68 billion approved in the initial estimates and this, after State House had already burst its annual budget in the first half of the 2025/26 financial year, spending Sh10.4 billion by December alone. 

The Office of the President received an additional Sh2.63 billion, bringing its allocation to Sh8.2 billion, while the Office of the Deputy President jumped by Sh2.1 billion to Sh5.17 billion. The parliamentary committee led by Samuel Atandi has no problem allocating billions to pad presidential and deputy presidential budgets that have already overrun. But it has a problem settling the debt owed to media houses on flimsy grounds such as the need to “verify the claims”. Does this imply that the National Treasury proposed the payment without anyone ascertaining how much the media houses were owed by the government? If so, how much time does the government need to scrutinise its records, as some of these bills have been pending for years?

Refusing to settle pending bills for services already offered should not be mistaken for prudence because, evidently, this is State-sanctioned impunity. The hypocrisy is amplified when one considers that the Communications Authority, operating under the same government, has been wielding licence compliance as a weapon against some of these very media houses. Standard Group has faced the threat of shutdown over regulatory dues. When one hand threatens and the other withholds payment, that can only be seen as predation, a plot to bankrupt media houses.

If that is indeed the idea, MPs should know that they will end up killing more than media houses – they will kill democracy, as no democracy can thrive without a vibrant press. MPs must avoid going that road.

By rejecting this payment, the BAC has not only failed to protect the taxpayer, but it has also exposed the State as a debtor that punishes its creditors. The government should pay media houses what it owes them because the law demands it and fairness insists on it. Paying media houses’ debts is not a favour; it is a right.

.std-banner-wrap {
max-width: 100%;
width: 100%;
position: relative;
margin: 2.5rem 0 2rem;
font-family: Georgia, ‘Times New Roman’, serif;
}

.std-top-rule {
display: flex;
height: 4px;
}

.std-top-rule .r1 {
background: #CC0000;
flex: 3;
}

.std-top-rule .r2 {
background: #C9A84C;
flex: 1;
}

.std-top-rule .r3 {
background: #0D0D0D;
flex: 6;
}

.std-banner {
background: #F9F5F0;
padding: 2rem 2.2rem 1.8rem;
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
box-shadow: 0 4px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.10), 0 1px 0 #C9A84C;
border-left: 4px solid #CC0000;
}

.std-banner::before {
content: ‘S’;
position: absolute;
right: -1rem;
top: -2rem;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
font-size: 14rem;
font-weight: 900;
color: rgba(204, 0, 0, 0.04);
line-height: 1;
pointer-events: none;
user-select: none;
}

.std-eyebrow {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.5rem;
font-size: 0.62rem;
font-weight: 700;
letter-spacing: 0.2em;
text-transform: uppercase;
color: #CC0000;
margin-bottom: 0.85rem;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

.std-eyebrow::before {
content: ”;
display: block;
width: 18px;
height: 1.5px;
background: #CC0000;
}

.std-banner-title {
font-family: Georgia, ‘Times New Roman’, serif;
font-size: clamp(1.3rem, 3.5vw, 1.75rem);
font-weight: 900;
color: #0D0D0D;
line-height: 1.2;
margin: 0 0 0.75rem;
letter-spacing: -0.02em;
}

.std-banner-title .std-hl {
color: #CC0000;
font-style: italic;
}

.std-divider {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.6rem;
margin-bottom: 0.9rem;
}

.std-divider::before,
.std-divider::after {
content: ”;
flex: 1;
height: 1px;
background: #d8d0c6;
}

.std-divider-dot {
width: 6px;
height: 6px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #CC0000;
flex-shrink: 0;
}

.std-banner-body {
font-size: 0.97rem;
line-height: 1.7;
color: #2C2C2C;
font-weight: 400;
margin: 0 0 1.4rem;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
}

.std-banner-body strong {
font-weight: 700;
color: #0D0D0D;
}

.std-cta-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 1rem;
flex-wrap: wrap;
margin-bottom: 1.2rem;
}

.std-btn-subscribe {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.6rem;
background: #CC0000;
color: #fff !important;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.8rem;
font-weight: 700;
letter-spacing: 0.1em;
text-transform: uppercase;
padding: 0.72rem 1.5rem 0.72rem 1.3rem;
border: none;
cursor: pointer;
text-decoration: none !important;
border-bottom: none !important;
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
transition: background 0.2s ease, transform 0.15s ease, box-shadow 0.2s ease;
box-shadow: 0 4px 16px rgba(204, 0, 0, 0.3);
clip-path: polygon(0 0, calc(100% – 10px) 0, 100% 50%, calc(100% – 10px) 100%, 0 100%);
padding-right: 1.8rem;
}

.std-btn-subscribe:hover,
.std-btn-subscribe:focus,
.std-btn-subscribe:visited,
.std-btn-subscribe:active {
background: #A00000 !important;
color: #fff !important;
transform: translateY(-1px);
box-shadow: 0 6px 22px rgba(204, 0, 0, 0.4);
text-decoration: none !important;
border-bottom: none !important;
outline: none;
}

.std-btn-subscribe:active {
transform: translateY(0);
}

.std-btn-arrow {
display: inline-block;
font-size: 1rem;
line-height: 1;
transition: transform 0.18s ease;
}

.std-btn-subscribe:hover .std-btn-arrow {
transform: translateX(3px);
}

.std-dismiss {
font-size: 0.75rem;
color: #999;
background: none;
border: none;
border-bottom: 1px dashed #ccc;
padding: 0 0 1px;
cursor: pointer;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
letter-spacing: 0.03em;
transition: color 0.2s;
}

.std-dismiss:hover {
color: #333;
border-bottom-color: #333;
}

/* Payment logos */
.std-payment-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.45rem;
flex-wrap: wrap;
padding-top: 1rem;
border-top: 1px solid #e0d9d0;
margin-bottom: 0.7rem;
}

.std-pay-label {
font-size: 0.6rem;
color: #aaa;
letter-spacing: 0.14em;
text-transform: uppercase;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
margin-right: 0.2rem;
white-space: nowrap;
}

.std-pay-badge {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
height: 24px;
padding: 0 0.5rem;
border-radius: 3px;
border: 1px solid #e0d7ce;
background: #fff;
box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
}

/* M-Pesa */
.std-mpesa-text {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.7rem;
font-weight: 900;
}

.std-mpesa-m {
color: #39b74a;
}

.std-mpesa-dash {
color: #db3939;
}

.std-mpesa-p {
color: #39b74a;
}

/* Visa */
.std-visa-text {
font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Times, serif;
font-size: 0.82rem;
font-weight: 900;
font-style: italic;
color: #1a1f71;
letter-spacing: -0.03em;
}

/* Mastercard */
.std-mc-wrap {
position: relative;
width: 28px;
height: 16px;
}

.std-mc-left {
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #eb001b;
position: absolute;
left: 0;
top: 0;
}

.std-mc-right {
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #f79e1b;
position: absolute;
right: 0;
top: 0;
mix-blend-mode: multiply;
}

/* Airtel Money */
.std-airtel-text {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.64rem;
font-weight: 800;
}

.std-airtel-a {
color: #ec2427;
;
}

.std-airtel-m {
color: #dd3436;
font-weight: 600;
}

/* Equitel */
.std-equitel-text {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.6rem;
font-weight: 700;
color: #003087;
letter-spacing: 0.02em;
}

.std-equitel-eq {
color: #e2001a;
}

/* Trust strip */
.std-trust-strip {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.45rem;
flex-wrap: wrap;
}

.std-trust-strip .std-shield {
width: 11px;
height: 11px;
fill: #C9A84C;
flex-shrink: 0;
}

.std-trust-strip span {
font-size: 0.67rem;
color: #aaa;
letter-spacing: 0.03em;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

.std-trust-strip .std-dot {
width: 3px;
height: 3px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #ccc;
flex-shrink: 0;
}

/* Bottom rule */
.std-bottom-rule {
height: 2px;
background: linear-gradient(to right, #C9A84C, #CC0000, #0D0D0D);
}

/* Entrance animation */
@keyframes stdSlideUp {
from {
opacity: 0;
transform: translateY(20px);
}

to {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateY(0);
}
}

.std-banner-wrap {
animation: stdSlideUp 0.5s cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1) both;
}

Support Independent Journalism

Stand With Bold Journalism.
Stand With The Standard.

Journalism can’t be free because the truth demands investment.
At The Standard, we invest time, courage and skills to bring you accurate,
factual and impactful stories. Subscribe today and stand with us in the
pursuit of credible journalism.

Continue
→

Pay via

Secure Payment

Kenya’s most trusted newsroom since 1902

Follow The Standard
channel on WhatsApp