Why Kibaki ordered fresh talks on anti-media law

On Wednesday, ODM MPs met at Orange House and maintained the Act was flawed and would curtail media freedom and should, therefore, be amended.

They proposed that Government spearhead consultations with the media regarding the contentious issues in the Act with a view to drafting amendments. The Information and Communication minister should then move to have a Bill acceptable to the media tabled in Parliament.

But as they were agreeing on the amendments they could table before Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, the President stole the thunder from them when he said he was responding to a letter listing amendments from the Media Owners Association chairman, Mr Linus Gitahi, in December just after Parliament passed the Bill.

The letter was handed to the President by Mr Odinga on the request of Mr Gitahi, the Nation Media Group chief executive officer, who was accompanied by members of the MOA during a courtesy call on the PM in mid December.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mr Wako held a meeting with representatives of the Media Owners Association, led by Mr Gitahi, secretary Sheila Amdany, Mr Patrick Quarcoo and Mr Leo Slingerland.

AG is studying

“The media owners gave him a memorandum, which the AG is studying and will get in touch with MOA,” said Mr Wako’s spokesman, Mr Dominic Onyango.

Speaking on behalf of media owners, Mr Gitahi called for unity between the two sides so that any future amendments to the Communication (Amendment) Act can succeed in Parliament. “We must reach out to everybody so that this issue has the highest chance of success once it hits the floor of Parliament,” he said.

The Editors Guild welcomed the President’s gesture and said they were willing to attend the stakeholders meeting on the offensive Act.