House team proposes new amendments to gag media

The media fraternity is concerned about proposed amendments to the standing orders regarding press activity in the precincts of Parliament.

The Media Council of Kenya said the proposed rules by the Parliamentary Committee on Broadcasting and Library were retrogressive, ill-timed and would stifle media from covering stories of public interest.

Separately, Henry Maina, the East Africa director at Article 19, described the move as part of a continued process by MPs to fight the media for spotlighting them when they sleep in chambers or fight on the floor as witnessed in recent times.

“We call upon the Senate and National Assembly to reject these proposals, and uphold the freedom and independence of the media, as articulated in Article 34 of Kenya’s constitution,” Mr Maina said.

The Media Council of Kenya CEO Haroun Mwangi condemned the attempt to reintroduce the laws that would gag media.

“We will not allow anything that contravenes Article 34 of the Constitution of Kenya, or which inhibits media freedom,” Dr Mwangi said.

Shift Mandate

If the proposals are adopted, requests to conduct media-related activity would be handled by speakers of the Senate and the National Assembly.

Parliamentary reporters are currently accredited by the Media Relations Office. The new proposals would shift this mandate to the speakers of the Senate and National Assembly.

The proposals furthermore suggest that the speakers themselves should ensure that media activity complies with standing orders, and that it serves an educational, cultural or news purpose.

In the new rules, cameramen and photographers would be required to report to the head of security before taking photographs or videos. It is not clear how practical this would be during live coverage of events or during press conferences, which are convened at the Press Centre.

Worse still, what is perceived as violation of the new restrictions could result in denial of access during a sitting day, suspension of an individual’s pass for a day, denial of access to the press gallery for three days for a media house or any other penalty the Speaker may deem fit.

Repeated violations could result in a one-month suspension for the media house, or suspension of the individual’s pass for the same period.