Editors urge National Assembly to uphold media freedom

The National Assembly has been urged to defend media freedom to guarantee free flow of information.

Media Council of Kenya chief executive officer David Omwoyo said legislators, as an arm of the government and people's representatives, have a cardinal duty to protect members of the media as they discharge their duties.

“We know that we have had a few occasions where journalists have had bad encounters with the legislators,” he said.

Even if there has been complaints, he said, "we have never seen a bad legislation and we laud the leadership Parliament for that".

“As we mark the international day to end impunity on attacks against journalists, we need to have a good working relationship to be able to effectively serve our various audiences,” said Mr Omwoyo.

The president of The Editors Guild Churchill Otieno while acknowledging that there could be something teething problem as the two organs discharge their various mandate, urged that they should not divert from their core duties.

“We should find ways on how best we can serve the country and ensure that those who rely on media for information can get quality information at the time they need it,” he said on Friday.

They were speaking during the fourth session of engagement forum with members of the Kenya Editors Guild jointly organised by the National Assembly leadership and Media Council of Kenya at Ciala Resort in Kisumu County

Mr Otieno further welcomed criticism, noting it is playing an important role in improving professional excellence of media practitioners.

Former Editors Guild president Linus Kaikai however called on the National Assembly to be more independent and hold the executive accountable.

“The National Assembly should ensure that the country attains the transition of 2010 constitution for Kenyans to achieve the objectives of the supreme law,” he said.

Speaker of National Assembly Justin Muturi however assured the media that they will provide support to ensure the media perform their duties effectively.

“Up to now, we are proud that we are the only arm of government which has considered the media by giving them adequate space to discharge their duties,” he said.

Mr Muturi further challenged media houses to assign specific reporters in the National Assembly to ensure they grasp the Standing Orders and accurately relay of information.

“We do not want to have a situation where we have different people coming in and misrepresent facts to the general public,” he said.

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale also affirmed his commitment to support the media freedom.

“We should however desist from acting out of malice and ensure we report only the truth,” he said.