Photo: Monicah Mwangi/The Star

Eight television stations and 32 radio stations will join together for an unprecedented simultaneous broadcast of the debates.

Presidential candidates contesting in next year's elections are set to face-off in a series of live debates as part of an initiative by the Kenyan media. Eight television stations and 32 radio stations announced that they have joined together for an unprecedented simultaneous broadcast of the debates between November 26, 2012 and February 11, 2013

At a joint press briefing, the Presidential Debates Steering Committee, comprising the Chief Executive officers of Royal Media Services, The Nation Media Group, The Standard Group, Radio Africa Group, Media Max, The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, the Capital Group and Kass Group said a total of three presidential debates will be staged with topics and questions to be crafted by a broad-based editorial committee.

The Chairman of the Joint Media Presidential Debates Steering Committee, Mr.Wachira Waruru said the debates will provide Kenyan voters with the opportunity to listen to, interrogate and interact with the presidential candidates. The debates will also afford the candidates the opportunity to reach out to the widest possible audience and explain how they would govern if elected President.

The media houses have engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers(PWC) to offer project audit services in order to ensure best practice is applied in all processes surrounding the project.