This Bill will legalise tyranny

What you need to know:

  • One of the aims of the Constitution 2010 was to safeguard people’s liberty and ensure this country does not become a secret police State, which it almost did during the Moi years.

The Bill that proposes to allow the National Intelligence Service to access the cellphone calls and text messages of individuals without the express permission of a court is a dangerous piece of legislation.

It is true we are living in dangerous times when terrorists and other ne’er-do-wells are targeting innocent Kenyans, and it is a fact that insecurity has become an almost insurmountable problem for the government.

However, it would be foolhardy to allow an institution accountable to nobody but itself a carte blanche to invade privacy in this manner unless the individuals are suspected of committing or planning acts of terror, and even then, it should be under the purview of the Judiciary.

One of the aims of the Constitution 2010 was to safeguard people’s liberty and ensure this country does not become a secret police State, which it almost did during the Moi years.

If this Bill is endorsed by MPs, that is the surest way of defeating the objectives of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, and those who allow it may easily become the first victims when their fundamental rights are trampled upon with complete impunity.