The proposed media
bill has not only appalled many but also cast doubts as to whether good state-press
relations will ever find a footing in a country that preaches democracy and practices
something else.
Leaders from every
nook and cranny have poured vitriol on Members
of the Kenyan parliament for passing what experts term as a “repressive and
unconstitutional” law, which is alleged to strip any remaining freedom from the
media.
A fortnight ago,
former vice president Kalonzo Musyoka
warned of a return to dictatorship if MPs keep alive their efforts to gag the
press and silence the civil society, the only remaining critics of the present
government.
Poured vitriol
Former Prime
Minister Raila Odinga echoed his sentiments,
and called for a free press.
As deputy
president William Ruto exudes
confidence that the president will not sign the bill, all eyes now focus on the
president, waiting to see if he will make good his promise.
President Kenyatta says he will not sign the bill
before ironing out contentious issues with all stakeholders; a local daily
quoted him as saying.
An expert privy to
the contents of the contentious bill intimated that some parts are good as they
will promote professionalism in the media industry, while other parts of the
same bill remained vague and potentially punitive to media houses and
journalists.
“The media should
be left to self regulate themselves like other professions. For instance,
lawyers have the Law Society of Kenya, teachers have the Teachers Service Commission,
while doctors have the Medical Practitioners Board.” Says Mr. Kerich, an expert
in media relations.
“I do not see why
the media council should not be strengthened to regulate the press that is in
line with international standards.’ Adds Mr.Kerich.
Trying sheep in a hyenas court
According to the
proposed bill, the government will form a vague board that will regulate what
the media reports, and unfortunately, no member of the said board is a journalist.
“This is
ridiculous. It is like trying sheep in a
hyena’s court and expecting justice.” chided another expert.
The bill also
proposed exorbitant fines for individual journalists who are caught on the
wrong side of the law.
“Errant
journalists will part with at least Shs 1 Million, same applies to the media
houses,” Said Henry Onchoka, a media consultant.
The crime might be
something as minor as “failing to separate facts from opinion,” he adds.
Onchoka says this
will result to a suppressed media so fearful to report the happenings and risk
going out of business due to such sanctions as heavy fines and threats to their
reporters.
Journalists summoned
A fortnight ago,
Kenyans reeled in shock after the government summoned two journalists for
exposing and portraying the police as thieves.
Mohamed Ali and
John Allan Namu of the Standard Group had aired CCTV footage allegedly showing
Kenya Defence Forces soldiers carrying bulging white plastic bags bearing the
logos of Nakumatt supermarket, as
they tried to secure the Westgate Mall following an attack by the Somalia
militant group Al Shabaab.
Interior cabinet
secretary Joseph Ole Lenku was quoted as saying that the journalist duo acted
as if they were glorifying the terrorists and vehemently denied the soldiers
looted as claimed.
An army
spokesperson reportedly said the security forces were carrying drinking water
from the supermarket which was located inside the mall.
Lenku later
admitted that some soldiers looted, and sure enough, a few were dismissed and
arraigned in courts.
“A case in point
is that if the media did not expose the rot at the Westgate, no one could ever
know thus they must be allowed of their place as the fourth estate,” added the
expert.
“This is vendetta;
I believe the MPs are trying to silence the media after they have been
portrayed as greedy and selfish since claiming a salary increment.
This is not how
democracies work. They (parliamentarians)
are public officers and the public must know what their representatives are
doing,” says Kerich.
Weed out quacks
“They should give
media a chance to do their work, and I am still waiting to see how this works
out because the politicians are also the guys who own the media houses.” Adds
Onchoka.
“However, we must
agree that the same bill seeks to streamline the profession and also to create
more employment. If those contentious
issues are solved, I think we have a very good and realistic bill here,” says
Onchoka.
The bill proposes
that at least 60 per cent of the broadcast content be local, thereby reviving
the sick horse that is the film industry.
Currently, local
media houses have been feeding their audience on cheap and third rate films
from Nigeria and Asia, building foreign economies while depriving the local
industry of massive income.
“Kenya boasts of
top notch film makers and actors who can even hold a candle to their Nigerian
counterparts, and it is sad we knowingly sit on our film industry, a local gold
mine,” a top rated film maker lamented.
“Just recently,
the government introduced Uwezo fund which is aimed at empowering the youth,
and even film makers were not left behind. A fund was introduced to support
those making good local content and this is a very good move as it will create
jobs in this sector,”
The new bill also
seeks to license all practitioners in a bid to weed out quacks who have
infested the industry like fleas.
According to a
highly placed expert who wished not to be named, the media industry is now “full
of fame hungry pretenders and quacks, and just a few professionals,” that is
why the best journalists are still jobless while people who have never seen the
inside of a media school now ’rule the airwaves.”
Or rather, which
other profession do we find people just joining without any vetting?
“In Kenya, you
just need to get famous, and you get that media job, that is why we have some
very irresponsible scribes,” said Job Kiarie, a media practitioner.
“We must be able
to shield our institutions from a rogue parliament or else we go back to the
dark oppressive days when Kenyans had to look over their shoulders before
saying anything.” Maintains Mr. Kerich.
*Names have been
edited to protect the identities of the respondents.
