Framing of Police Enforcement of the Covid-19 Laws in Kenya: A Comparative Analysis of the Daily Nation and Standard Newspapers

Abstract

This study analysed how the Standard and The Daily Nation Newspapers framed the Kenyan police enforcement of Legal Notice No. 36 of 2020. Three major objectives were interrogated; the frames used by the two newspapers in reporting police enforcement of the curfew, the figures of speech used in the framing the police enforcement work and the sources of the stories used. Content analysis was the main data collection method. The key findings of the study were: The Daily Nation and the Standard newspapers framed the police enforcement of the curfew through negative valance via use of: brutality frames, conflict frames, death and murder frames. It also emerged that, the voicing of the police enforcement of the curfew order was largely supressed and left mainly to the mass media institutions and the journalists. Inferentially, the two newspapers played their watchdog role effectively. It also emerged that, critical voices necessary in ensuring accountability and transparent of the police enforcement of Covid 19 curfew in Kenya like: The Judiciary, Parliament, International Community and other key human right agencies were silent. It is recommended that, police should be trained on matters human rights and freedom and that both the journalists and the public should be empowered in order to hold police to account for their sometimes illegal actions during executions of their mandates.

Keywords: Media framing, Police brutality, Governance, public order,

DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/105-01

Publication date:October 31^st 2023