Global press group condemns MPs' move to gag journalists

An international press-freedom advocacy group on Thursday denounced the National Assembly's approval of a Bill that aims to restrict coverage of Parliament.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it "condemns" the legislation that would punish Kenyan reporters with fines and/or prison for the newly promulgated offence of "scandalising Parliament".

"This Bill has no place in a democracy," said Sue Valentine, the group's Africa programme coordinator.

"The public has a right to hear news and criticism of what is discussed in parliament and how members conduct themselves," she declared.

"We urge President Uhuru Kenyatta to live up to his promise to respect press freedom and the role of the media in ensuring the free flow of information."

The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a special report earlier this year titled Broken Promises: How Kenya Is Failing to Uphold Its Commitment to a Free Press.

The 50-page assessment found that "a combination of legal and physical harassment is making it increasingly difficult for journalists to work freely in the country".

"Journalists are vulnerable to legal harassment, threats, or attack, while news outlets are manipulated by advertisers or politician-owners," the report charged.

It said that while Kenya's Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, the Jubilee coalition "has introduced several bills that undermine rather than enforce that principle".