MOMBASA, 13th May – The Clerk of the Senate, Mr Jeremiah Nyegenye, has challenged news editors to use the immense power they wield to advance ideals of democracy and good governance.

During an engagement forum between the Senate Board of Management and members of the Kenya Editors’ Guild (KEG), Mr Nyegenye effortlessly employed a Biblical analogy to demonstrate the perception-shaping power of the media.

The Clerk referred to Jesus’ Galilean ministry, where a compelling and instructive exchange occurred between Him and His disciples after asking, “Who do men say I am?” which attracted varying responses. Similarly, he posited that who the Media says the Senate is, would be perceived by their viewers and readers as the Bible truth.

“Governments Matter. Legislatures matter. What they do matters. That it is conveyed and how it is conveyed matters. And you play a major role in that,” Mr Nyegenye observed.

“If you make the legislature a laughing stock and if you decide the Senate is an asylum for octogenarians, so shall it be perceived. So, Members of the Fourth Estate, what do you say the Senate is?”

On her part, the Vice-President of the Editors’ Guild, Ms Zubeida Kananu, urged the Senate to remain faithful to defending Devolution and, by extension, the Constitution of Kenya.

“Many people have perceived Senate as the House of the wise men, the best lawyers and seasoned politicians in the country, but have you capitalised on their rich experience to engrave a mark in the hearts of Kenyans?” posed Ms Zubeida.

The Guild’s Vice-President also appealed to the Senate Management to ensure regular and more structured engagements between the Senate, the editors and the media stakeholders to enhance synergy.

The engagement forum between the two institutions provides the opportunity for relationship building, appreciating each other’s roles and mandates and their points of intersection.