Pages

Thursday, December 5, 2013

THE KENYAN MEDIA SAYS “NO” TO GAGGING


It was a time for protests, picking up the camera, taking a few shots, brief interviews then rejoining the pack to shout anti-Media Bill chants. Kenyan journalists, media practitioners, owners and civil society activists took to the streets of Nairobi on 3rd December to voice their dissatisfaction with the recent Media Bill passed in Parliament.
The demonstrators assembled outside Nation Centre on Kimathi Street a few minutes past 10 am. Whistles, and pro-media freedom chants and placards took charge of the busy streets as the procession made its way through Kenyatta Avenue and Moi Avenue before making a stop on Harambee Avenue where a signed petition was handed over to government officials at the Office of the President. A similar copy of the petition was also delivered to the National Assembly buildings. “The Bill amounts to repression of the media and should either be completely withdrawn or redrafted afresh,” said Mr. David Ohito, the Vice Chair of the Editors Guild of Kenya.
The Bill among other proposals placed a fine of KES 20 million for media houses found guilty of violating the code of conduct while journalists would be fined KES 2 million. Even after supposed consultations, the contents of the Information and Communications Bill 2013 are yet to lose their effect of sending jitters down the spines of members of the Fourth Estate. The presence of the Media Tribunal and the still hefty fines for journalists now reduced to KES 500,000 remain among contentious elements of the Bill.



“I suspect this has been brought about by the desire to take Kenya back to the days of dictatorship, but those days are gone,” said former Human Rights Commission of Kenya Chairperson and now Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar. “No one can succeed in barring the media from doing their work. I am in utter shock. I thought the Uhuru government would be an improvement from the Kibaki government but what has been happening in the first days of this government is something that confounds all of us,” he added.
Among the demonstrators was photojournalist cum activist Boniface Mwangi, Political Analyst and Director of ONE, Benji Ndolo and a host of civil rights activists. “We would rather empower the current Media Council of Kenya than create a new council that is not free of State control,” added Mr. Ohito. The media fraternity hopes to reach a reasonable compromise with the National Assembly when the Bill is brought to the floor of the House.

No comments:

Post a Comment