Journalists to challenge Bill in court case

Journalists’ groups Thursday vowed to move to court and challenge the media Bill.

The organisations said the Bill contains contentious proposals that will curtail press freedom.

Speaking in Nairobi, they said journalists across the country would be going back to the streets, on a day to be communicated, for more protests.

The Kenya Editors Guild, Kenya Union of Journalists and Kenya Correspondents Association said they would also continue to lobby MPs for amendments in the shortest time possible in order to restore and protect freedom and independence of the media.

“We the journalists of this country take great exception to the anti-media proposals passed this afternoon (Thursday) by the National Assembly,” they said in a statement.

The organisations lamented that despite concerted efforts, the MPs went ahead and passed the Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

“It is a dark moment for Kenya’s robust media environment when laws that will reverse gains made on freedom of expression and independence of the media from State interference, have been rubber-stamped by the National Assembly,” they said.

The groups maintained that the laws that had been passed by Parliament were a grave insult to the freedom of the media and were well calculated to target journalists and the media with the ultimate aim of gagging them through hefty fines and penalties.

Editors Guild chairman Macharia Gaitho said: “We were taken aback that attempts to strike a middle ground and navigate Kenya out of the contentious issues raised by media stakeholders were ignored.”

KUJ’s secretary-general Jared Obuya asked Kenyans to support the media during the trying period.

“The proposals makes Kenya join countries that have oppressive media laws such as Zimbabwe and we should not allow this to go on,” Mr Obuya said.

The Kenya Correspondents Association chairman, Mr Oloo Janak accused the MPs of strategically skipping parliamentary sessions.

“It is sad that MPs abandoned national duty that required their attention to go to Uganda for games,” Mr Janak said as he hit out at the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution for failing to play its role during the formulation of the law.

Mr David Ohito, the vice-chairman of the Editors Guild, said they would meet on Monday to decide on when to stage the second round of protests.

ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS

However, Mr Ohito said the media fraternity would still be ready to engage other stakeholders in order to get an amicable solution to the problem.

Separately, political strategist Tony Gachoka hit out at the Jubilee government and MPs allied to the coalition for approving and singularly passing President Kenyatta’s memorandum on the Bill.

“This law has reversed historic democratic gains and introduced the most repressive, punitive and draconian law since the introduction of the law that made Kenya a single-party state and the government has dealt a death knell to freedom of expression,” he said.

Mr Gachoka noted that the proposals undermine the freedom and independence of the media, to confer on the Communication Authority of Kenya the power to regulate and control media, taking away the responsibilities of the Media Council of Kenya.