Ethics & Standards — Kenyan Digest

Independent journalism only works if the people reading it know what its boundaries are. Below is a plain-language summary of how Kenyan Digest's newsroom operates, what we will and will not do, and how we handle the unavoidable tensions of running an editorial business.

01Independence from advertisers

The Kenyan Digest newsroom operates independently of the commercial side of the business. Advertisers do not see editorial coverage before publication. Advertisers do not have the ability to influence which stories we cover, how we cover them, or when they are published.

Where a story involves an existing advertiser, we will note the commercial relationship transparently in the article. We will not pull coverage in response to advertiser pressure. We have done so in the past at material cost to the business, and we will do so again.

02Sponsored content

The Digest accepts clearly labelled sponsored content from third-party advertisers. Every sponsored article is published under a distinct visual treatment that includes:

A "Sponsored · Partner content" label at the top of the article.
The name of the advertiser, prominently displayed.
A disclosure block at the end of the article noting that the content was paid for and was not written or edited by the newsroom.
Where the content involves regulated activity — gambling, finance, alcohol — any disclosures required by Kenyan law.

The newsroom does not write sponsored content. The commercial team reviews sponsored content for factual claims and tone before publication, but does not edit it as journalism.

03Sources and source protection

We protect the identities of confidential sources. We do this even in the face of legal pressure. Our protocol for handling sensitive tips is set out on the Tips & sources page.

We do not pay for information. We do not share tips with other journalists, government agencies, or authorities except where compelled by a court order — and we will resist such orders where we believe they are inappropriate.

Where a source provides documents, we corroborate independently before publication. We will not run a story based on a single anonymous source for any claim that materially damages an individual's reputation.

04Right of reply

Every individual or organisation named in an investigation is contacted before publication and given a fair opportunity to respond. We will note in the article when a subject has been contacted, what response they provided, and where a response was not given. We extend the same right of reply to corrections published after the fact.

Our deadlines for response are reasonable. Our standard practice for major investigations is to allow at least 72 hours from a detailed list of questions to publication. Where a subject asks for additional time and provides a credible reason, we will extend.

05Conflicts of interest

Editors and staff reporters at the Digest disclose any financial interest that could create a conflict with their reporting. We do not allow staff to hold shares, sit on the boards, or accept paid speaking engagements from companies or individuals they cover.

Where a reporter has an unavoidable personal connection to a subject — a family relationship, a former employer — that connection is disclosed and the reporting is reassigned.

06Use of AI tools

The Digest uses AI tools for non-editorial work: transcription, research assistance, and translation. We do not publish AI-generated text as our own reporting. We do not use AI tools to fabricate quotes, images, or sources. Where AI tools have been used to assist in the reporting of a story in a way that materially shaped its findings, we will note that in the article.

07Corrections

We publish corrections promptly when we get something wrong. Corrections are appended to the original article with a dated note explaining what was changed, and are also collected on a public corrections log. We do not silently re-edit published articles to fix substantive errors.

08How to challenge our coverage

If you believe we have reported something inaccurately, write to editor@kenyandigest.com with the article URL, a clear statement of the issue, and any supporting documentation. Formal complaints are reviewed by an editor not involved in the original reporting. Where appropriate, we will publish a correction or an addendum.

If you are unhappy with our response, you may escalate to the Media Council of Kenya. We will engage in good faith with any such complaint.