The critical factor is that most of the media practitioners are yet to read and understand the legislation that established the TJRC, its mandate, rules and procedures as the commission prepared to go full blast in its work beginning September last year.Secondly though the institution of the media

That is because the TJRC is delving into the truth concerning injustices suffered by individuals, group and communities in the country right from historical perspectives to date. Who perpetuated them, where, when and how with the aim of according justice, reconciliation as well as compensation where relevant - the media is expected to play a central role in informing the public about the entire processes right from the beginning to the end and after.

The other critical factor about the commission is that one of its mandates is to make public the report findings compiled by the many commissions established by the successive regimes of government since independence under the late Jomo Kenyatta, through Daniel Moi to the current Mwai Kibaki regime.

Some of the TJRC processes at hand that are demanding for clear distinctions when the media is reporting the its activities include processes such as hearings, statement taking and memoranda presentations as the commission engages members of the public to gather valuable information dating back from perhaps before independence that will form the backbone of its findings report and recommendations for action at the expiry of its scheduled deadline.

Indeed the information being sought must be relating to the commission’s stipulated core areas of its mandate in a process that is supposed to be transparent, free and fair – though evidence deemed very sensitive requiring the protection of the witnesses will be held in camera.

A TJRC Media Training Workshop in Nairobi recently heard that the media reporting of the TJRC sittings in Mt. Elgon, Nyeri and other parts of the country in its first phase of the work was erroneously reported as hearings when they were actually statement taking process that are still ongoing.

The Rules, regulations and guidelines of the commission’s hearings are yet to be officially gazetted in preparation for the hearings in specified locations across the country in a particular time frame whose time table is yet to be established. At the moment the commission has recruited an army of statement takers who are still undergoing training before being deployed in its regional centres.

The TJRC Chief Executive/Secretary Pamela Nyaundi says: “We are involved in a very sensitive and highly emotive exercise. We are heading into a phase that going to be even more touching and cause traumatic stress even to the journalists who will be covering the process. We are going to deal with issues that are touching each and every Kenyan right from the national to the grassroots level irrespective of their status in society.”

“The Media is a highly respected and trusted institution in this country as we clearly witnessed in the just recently concluded constitution making process. It is expected to play even a greater and more highly sensitive role in the TJRC process and activities involving Kenyans from all walks of life with may also be highly emotive, therefore requiring a high degree of professionalism and sensitivity on the media practitioners,” Mrs. Nyaundi continued.

Giving the example of the statement taking process that sections of the media erroneously reported as hearings, Mrs. Nyaundi says that this sends out wrong perceptions which may compromise and adversely affect the process considering their highly sensitive nature.

Almost immediately after the confirmation of the TJRC commissioners and ratification of its leadership, particularly the appointment of the commission’s chairman, Ambassador Bethwel Kiplagat, the media went on a blitz frenzy to highlight heavy criticism mostly from civil society organizations against his appointment – questioning his background role in previous regimes.

The intense controversies generated by the CSOs and other critics that jumped onto the bandwagon saw at least the first vice chair of the commission quit as a result of the intense pressure generated, but Mr. Kiplagat stood his ground and fought back in self defense against the blanket accusations leveled at him.

Though the intense fight against the commission and its leadership has lessened in the recent past, it has since emerged that the fight against the TJRC for fear of the buried skeletons it is expected to expose has gone to the law courts with a suit challenging its legitimacy and existence filed at the high court in Kisii in Nyanza province.

The story does not stop there as the workshop heard that more challenges against the commission are expected to erupt in the course of its designated duties to try to reconcile and heal the nation – especially since a lot of the highly sensitive injustices disclosures are expected to touch on powerful, well connected and financially oiled personalities.

“That is why it is critical that the media must take strong and tough professional stands in these matters. What we have seen so far is just the tip and the CSOs are big business institutions that have their own axes to grind,” says the commission’s communications officer Kathleen Openda.

Ms. Openda says powerful individuals and highly well financed institutions who fear the work and consequences of the commission will no doubt every means at their disposal to try and derail its work at the expense of national interests and it the duty of the media to ensure that truth prevailed.

She challenged the media to interrogate the motives, interests and consequences behind every story they covered in the course of their duties to expose the truth than accept to be manipulated by some institutions which deliberately instigate drama to attract the media attention from the real issues and the truth.

A Media and international relations expert, Dr. Mustafa Ali says that the other biggest challenge in exposing the truth is the emergence of online media, particularly bloggers who are not trained in journalism as well as not subject to any legislation.

Says Dr. Ali: “These are mostly people who have no idea about media laws and ethics. When it comes to an important highly sensitive national exercise ahead of the TJRC it is highly possible that worried powerful personalities can use their resources not only to influence what bloggers write, but even respected media outlets to muzzle the truth from coming out.”

He says the most possible tactic would be deliberate and systematic well orchestrated schemes to spread dis-information, skewered analysis, and political use of bloggers to achieve their ends.

Dr. Ali argues that most media outlets are usually susceptible to such manipulations because of their penchant for giving emphasis on conflict, controversy, colourful language, and cast of character in categorizing and prioritizing news values in especially daily hard news stories in both print and electronic media outlets.

He says the biggest challenge facing many media practitioners and hence outlets in the country is building capacities in conflict sensitive journalism that most of the journalists are not trained in and sufficiently prepared to efficiently cover conflict and sensitive issues.