One Kenya Alliance (OKA) leaders today, August 19, 2021, held a press conference in Mombasa, where they addressed reports of their regular meetings with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The leaders dismissed the news channeled by a section of media houses indicating that OKA has held regular meetings with the Head of State as false.
OKA claimed that some media houses had stooped to a low level, reporting falsified information to members of the public. The leaders noted that the reports betray the Media Code of Ethics and should be a subject of concern to relevant media regulatory institutions.
"Meanwhile, Kenyans deserve correct, factual, verifiable, attributable and balanced reporting of events and not fiction about manufactured events that didn’t take place; sanitised through the veneer of creative realities, deceptive facts, opaque shadowy sources and twisted logic," the statement by OKA read in part.
The leaders stated categorically that their visits to State House are not summons to convince them into supporting one candidate or the other.
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They noted that the meetings have been consultative, aimed at deliberating on matters of national interest.
"Indeed, yesterday’s meeting was one such conference where a new Covid-19 surge and containment measures were the subject of extensive discussion. No one asked or even suggested that we support anyone for anything," OKA stated.
OKA called upon media houses and especially the print media to remain focused on reporting facts as they are and not what their wishes are.
"Indeed, it is a cardinal international media ethical rule that media houses can choose to support a candidate of their choice in elections. The only condition is that this must be made public," the leaders noted.
They challenged any media house that feels strongly about the candidature of any individual to publicly announce its decision to support that individual.
OKA leaders comprising ANC Leader Musalia Mudavadi, Wiper-Kenya's Kalonzo Musyoka, Kanu's Gideon Moi and Ford-Kenya's Moses Wetangula have openly declared their intentions to work together in succeeding President Uhuru Kenyatta.
