The plan to set up the East African Media Council is expected to feature in the discussions at next week’s regional media summit in Kampala.

Scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the forthcoming East African Community Heads of State Summit, the media conference is expected to draw at least 150 media owners, chief executives of media houses, publishers, editors and journalists from partner states.

Organised under the theme, "Taking EAC Agenda to the People: Enhancing Media Knowledge and Participation,” the meeting is organised by the East African Community and East African Business Council (EABC).

"The conference will discuss, among others, how best the EAC media tell the East African story, the way forward on the establishment of East African Media Advocacy Body, establishment of East African Media Council as the regional regulatory body and how can EAC partner with the Media to bring regional integration agenda to the people,” a statement from the organisers says.

According to Robert Kabushenga, the Vision Group chief executive, who is among the people spearheading the initiative, during the summit, the idea will be tabled and some people tasked to draft all the modalities for the setting up of the Council.

Talking to The New Times, yesterday, Kabushenga said it was important for journalists to be involved in the regional integration process.

"For us [the media] to have our contribution to the integration process, we must have such bodies,” he said.

Steering committee

During the summit, a steering committee will reportedly prepare a concrete proposal on the formation of the body, including the name, roles and responsibilities, structure, its programmes, projects, funding and legal framework.

Dr Haron Mwangi, the chief executive of Media Council of Kenya, will prepare a background paper and vision for setting up the body and present it to members tfor their input.

Alphonse Nkusi, the Rwanda Media High Council board chair, said as the integration process deepens it was imperative for the media to be involved in the process.

"It’s part of the integration process… if the Common Market Protocol allows traders and other people to move freely within the region, why not journalists? The integration is deepening and it requires all the stakeholders, including the media,” he told The New Times yesterday.

Nkusi said all the five countries have different media regimes which would be discussed and possibly harmonised to facilitate free operations of the journalists in the region.

Meanwhile, during the summit winners of the Third EAC Media Awards will be announced and rewarded for their excellence in reporting on regional integration process.

Twelve journalists from the five EAC partner states will be competing for the EAC Secretary-General’s Award, which is the overall prize.

There are also prizes in six other categories that include Business (EABC Chairman’s Award); agriculture and food security; health; environment (Green Award); political, and higher education reporting award.

The idea of the East African Media Council was first mooted at the 5th EAC media summit in Kigali last year, where participants unanimously agreed to its formation to act as the apex body that will coordinate the harmonisation of media laws and regulations in the EAC.

Participants also appealed to regional governments to harmonise all other supportive regulations, such as taxation regimes, non tariff barriers, customs related laws; address infrastructure bottlenecks and create necessary institutions with a view to enhancing cross border investment in the media sector.

Countries were also urged to eliminate barriers like worker permit fees to the journalists to allow them move freely within the community.

Journalists speak out

Phillip G. Corry, a sports journalist with Golf100 magazine in Uganda, appealed to media owners and managers who will attend the summit to push for free press.

"In some countries, there are plans to suppress freedom of the press by passing draconian media,” Corry said.

Aissa Cyiza, a news anchor with Radio Isango Star in Kigali, said there is need for economic empowerment of media houses if they are to maintain their editorial independence.