External influence on parliamentarians in Kenya

• Published date: 01 February 2023
• Author: David Irwin,Njeri Kiereini
• Date: 01 February 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2826

RESEARCH ARTICLE

External influence on parliamentarians in Kenya

David Irwin

1

| Njeri Kiereini

2

1

Visiting Fellow, Department of Politics,

Newcastle University, Newcastle upon

Tyne, UK

2

Consultant trading

Correspondence

David Irwin, Department of Politics, Newcastle

University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Email: david.irwin@newcastle.ac.uk

Funding information

Business Advocacy Fund, Kenya

Many scholars argue that the media can influence parliamentarians though the extent

of that influence is hotly debated. There is some evidence that the relationship is two

way, with politicians taking note of salient media stories but using the media to com-

municate with their constituents. It is also apparent that, whilst the media may have

a role in drawing attention to specific issues, politicians in Kenya do not entirely trust

it and thus use a wide range of other sources including government agencies as well

as third party sources such as interest groups. This article addresses two gaps in our

knowledge―the extent to which parliamentarians in Kenya turn to unofficial sources

for information and public opinion, especially interest groups, and the extent to

which the media in particular influences parliamentarians in Kenya. The results sug-

gest that parliamentarians in Kenya rely to some extent on both the media and inter-

est groups and that the media is good at raising awareness and stimulating action but

that it has only a modest effect on political actions.

1|INTRODUCTION

In democracies, parliamentarians, that is the members of house(s) of

parliament, have roles in drafting, debating and adopting legislation

and in holding government to account. Even with a large personal

staff, they can neither hope to be expert on every topic nor can they

keep widely in touch with public opinion. Consequently, they require

timely access to comprehensive and reliable information if they are

adequately to fulfil their duties and responsibilities (Hossain

et al., 2017; Varone et al., 2020). Moreover, they need to take a view

on―and debate topics―outside their specialist areas. In consolidated

democracies, they thus look, inter alia, for detailed statistical and

other analysis based on the collection of a wide range of data,

research reports (from official sources as well as from universities,

think tanks and others), policy ideas (from their political party, from

think tanks, from interest groups and others), voter opinions and so

on and probably also seek assistance with policy analysis. Parliamen-

tarians in consolidating democracies appear to rely on a much

narrower range of sources. A study in Botswana, for example,

suggested that MPs mostly sought information from government

departments, personal contacts and other parliamentarians

(Thapisa, 1996). The study revealed that respondents specifically did

not view the parliamentary library as a priority source but that news-

papers and journals were well used. Hossain et al. (2017) in their study

in Bangladesh, reported that 64% of parliamentarians perceived news-

papers, radio and television as key information sources. In consoli-

dated democracies, parliamentarians also seek information and

opinion from interest groups (Fink-Hafner & Krašovec, 2005).

This poses questions about how Parliamentarians seek informa-

tion and opinion―especially in consolidating democracies where it is

harder to access reliable data. One source, of course, is their political

party―though opposition parties in consolidating democracies, if they

exist at all, tend to be under-resourced. Other sources include govern-

ment statistics bodies, government research organisations and, possi-

bly, parliamentary research services or parliamentary libraries. Some

parliamentarians may consider such sources not to be wholly indepen-

dent and so turn to interest groups and other sources. In all likelihood,

parliamentarians will want a relationship with the media―not only as

a source of information but also as an opportunity to generate a pub-

lic profile, especially with their constituents. Indeed, Matthes et al.

(2019) suggest they go beyond relationship towards mutual depen-

dence. Whilst the media is important in providing a platform for politi-

cians to raise their profile and to seek attention for their causes it also

provides a mechanism for citizens to learn what they are doing

(Ireri, 2012; Ireri & Ochieng, 2020) and to seek information on current

affairs (Vliegenthart & Walgrave, 2019).

The relationship of parliamentarians to other actors is increasingly

researched in consolidated democracies but it is an area that is under-

Received: 30 October 2020 Revised: 17 May 2022 Accepted: 3 June 2022

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2826

J Public Affairs. 2023;23:e2826. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 1of9

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2826