DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2015.v03i04.014

Pages: 915-922

Media is an influential institution that has proved capable of directing good governance everywhere. As society’s mouthpiece, media has allotted itself an indisputable 4th estate position. In Kenya media went ahead to showcase its power of influence when it successfully organized the two presidential debates before the March 4th, 2013 general elections. The position of this paper is that this debate’s impact on the election outcome is a pointer to media’s power of influence that can be tapped to advance good governance. Poor governance is largely as a result of people making uninformed decision at the ballot. Presidential debate is a forum in which media gives people a chance to evaluate and interrogate their future leaders and consequently make informed decision in the ballot. The two presidential debates before the 2013 general elections aimed at providing the electorate a chance to evaluate the candidates. The article concludes .that since bad governance bedevils many sub-Saharan African countries, including Kenya and the media can be an apt platform for mitigating against this.