Kenyan media are still considered to be relatively independent by regional standards, but press freedom has been deteriorating since 2017 when the government started using its advertising budgets to compel news organisations to toe the line. Journalists’ salaries have been reinstated to their pre-pandemic levels even as newsrooms attempt to deliver more output and enhanced election coverage with the same number of staff. Despite these challenges, media organisations have revoked pay cuts of between 30% and 50% initiated during the pandemic to manage costs and stay in business. Many of these will now be affected by a 15% increase in tax for gambling, alcohol, and gaming advertising. In recent years, many large media organisations have diversified their portfolios, introducing over the top (OTT) services like video streaming and podcasts and digital marketplaces. It is important to note that approximately 80% of subscribers buy the daily pass, which is heavily discounted and only costs KES10 shillings (£0.07 or $0.09) so this is unlikely to replace advertising any time soon. The ease of payment has helped boost subscriptions and readership with the Nation, for example, increasing its paying online readership from 130,000 to almost 500,000. They can also pay for a monthly, six-monthly, or annual pass. Micropayments – many of them made through the ubiquitous Mpesa mobile payment platform – make it possible for people to pay for a daily pass when they can afford it. The major print outlets – from the Nation and Standard groups – now operate daily or article-by-article paywalls for premium content and articles older than seven days, which are no longer considered 'news'. The digital tax, charged on subscription-based media, including news, magazines, and journals, is expected to double to 3% by July 2022, affecting media companies that have been looking to charge for online content to make up for falling advertising revenues. The introduction of the digital tax in 2021 and enhanced measures to curb the spread of online hate speech as the country heads to an August election have impacted the media.
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