This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
On July 10, 2019, Information Communication and Technology Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru announced plans to exempt tax on local TV productions, a move aimed at boosting the local content industry.
Mucheru argued that the current 5% tax on local productions undermines their competitiveness against imported content, which appears to carry the day.
A report by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) and Reelforge found that internet searches in 2018 and 2019 revolved around football clubs and sports betting, while crime and sports dominated the news headlines.
According to the report, crime was the most covered topic in the Kenyan media, despite the perception that the media is obsessed with politics.
President Uhuru Kenyatta was the most mentioned personality in the news, followed by his Deputy William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Mucheru called on stakeholders to restructure their business models and invest heavily in audience preferences to boost economic growth.
He also emphasized the need for media stakeholders to work on upholding credibility in the face of increasing prevalence of fake news.
