Abstract:
The present research investigates newspaper framing of devolution as a new development concept in Kenya from 2013 to 2017. Specifically, the study examines five things: (i) The frames which newspaper journalists used in the four-year coverage of devolution; (ii) Through the lens of attribution of responsibility frame, who were the most blamed actors for the problems that faced the new development concept of devolution; (iii) Whether the coverage of devolution was framed more from an episodic or thematic perspective; (iv) Whether the coverage was more negative or positive; and (v) The major sources of news in the coverage of devolution stories. Using a six-constructed weeks sampling, the research content analysed 565 news stories from two national newspapers - Daily Nation and The Standard. The findings indicate that conflict was the most dominant frame (40.2%) followed by economic consequences (21.3%) and development (16.5%) in the coverage of devolution. Members of the county executive tier (39.0%) were the most blamed actors for the problems facing devolution. The coverage of devolution stories was overwhelmingly episodic (98.6%) and journalists used a more negative tone (53.0%) in news stories. Lastly, members of the county executive (41.2%) were the major sources of news for stories touching on devolution. Therefore, generally the findings exhibit the dominance of the political elite on devolution discourse which resulted in conflict as the most dominant news frame. Journalists reflected the conflict between the two antagonistic coalitions that straddled the political arena: the ruling Jubilee Coalition and the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy. Most importantly, the impact of the heavy reliance on the political elite as news sources was felt through the predominant episodic coverage of devolution, which meant reduced attention to substantive development issues.
