Why the proposed Media Bill is ‘almost perfect’

Journalists in Nairobi protest against the proposed Media Bill./mapambano

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.

Of pulling out of ICC, and elusive justice

If news doing rounds in the local scene are anything to go by, it is little secret the H.E the president of the Republic of Kenya, who is a suspect at the International Criminal Court, will not attend the hearing of his case, a move that is set to stir a heated debate over the fate of the victims of Post Election Violence.

President Kenyatta, together with his deputy and Radio journalist Joshua Sang are facing war crimes and crimes against humanity leveled against them by The Hague based court.

A fortnight ago, cabinet secretary in charge of foreign affairs insinuated that at no time in history has any head of state appeared before any court of law to answer to criminal charges.

“No” to Rome statute

Little wonder that she confirmed what the Kenyan parliament has been mulling over for quite sometimes now.

For the record, parliament has been preparing a motion to pull Kenya out of the gnashing jaws of the ICC, a motion that “is set to be tabled at the floor of the House soon,” Majority leader Adan Dualle told the press in Nairobi.

As the government grapples with the question of how to deal with the trials which have claimed the audience of the top most echelons of power , thousands of victims, still languishing in appalling conditions inside tents say any remaining hopes of ever getting justice now hang on the balance.

Political pundits have predicted dire consequences for the East African nation if the presidency makes the move, and a stall in international relations will be among the short term implications as the outside world supposedly slaps Kenya with economic sanctions.

However, a survey conducted by a private media house indicated that most Kenyans were contented with the presidency skipping the trials, claiming that the country is sovereign, while a handful thought that this will promote a culture of impunity in a country reeling from the aftermath of the 2007 post election crisis which claimed the lives of at least 1000 people.

Permanently disabled

Scores of others were injured, while dozens remain maimed, permanently disabled and unable to fend for themselves.

More than 500, 000 were also left landless and consigned to the tents.

The president is on record promising to honor court summons and to appear before the ICC, and many have now been left wondering, why the cold feet? Why now?

His deputy is already at The Hague where he is attending a hearing of his case. His conformity with the ICC could only fuel speculation that his senior will follow suit and take his stand, in a move that could have given the victims a lifeline, as justice could have been done, or be seen to be done.

nothing happened after the 2007 election

In a worst case scenario where the presidency gives the court a wide berth, PEV victims will be handed a final and fatal blow as there is nowhere else to turn to, sadly, and as expected, there is not even a local mechanism to try anyone.

It is like nothing happened after the 2007 election.

The question remains, who will fight for the victims?

The move might been seen as the best by the powers that be, but, what if a repeat of the violence recurs in the near future?

Who will try who?

Will justice be meted on the victims and the perpetrators of the violence?

What will happen to that man or woman who saw his or her children been butchered, just because they came from the wrong tribe?

Will the woman who was burnt but survived to tell the story ever get justice?

What about the orphaned? Their lives were turned into nightmares after their parents were butchered by bloodthirsty goons, all in the name of politics?

What about the yelling voices of women and children who were burnt to death inside a church where they had sought refuge, will their spirits be avenged?

Who performed the atrocities?

What happened to more than the reportedly 500 people named by the Commissions of inquiries formed to investigate the violence?

Where will they be tried, who will try them, what happened, why is there no local court trying them?

Was the ICC the only path to justice?

Where are the human rights activists, the defenders of the poor, the champions of justice?

Kenyans and the government will wish the above questions away, simply because you were not affected does not mean you will never be affected. Next time it might be you.

Sadly, it is like hiding our heads in the sand to avoid seeing a disaster.

I rest my case, hoping that God will hearken to the cry of the victims, the wretched of the earth.

GOD BLESS KENYA.

Tough times as VAT law defiles Kenyans, condemns them to starvation

The stories of women roping their stomachs to appease the deadly pangs of hunger in far flung counties, of dying children and the blood cuddling pictures of starving, hunger stricken old women awaiting death now ring through the minds of most Kenyans as tough times reckon, this time round instigated by the same government that promised to shield its citizenry from starvation.

Tough times indeed for the common man.

It is now clear that Kenyan Members of Parliament (M.Ps) threw all caution to the wind and passed the now frowned upon and devastatingly unpopular Value Added Tax Bill (VAT Bill) that among other things sought to increase the prices for essential commodities like milk and flour, the staple for the common man. Consequently sending the cost of living to the rafters, and condemning Kenyans to a certain death knoll, death through starvation.

Death through starvation

It is common knowledge that most Kenyans live below the poverty line, or what the United Nations (U.N) describe as living below a Dollar a day.

And the move by the government can only sound like a sure death sentence.

The aftermath of the ripples created by the said law have been felt in every nook and cranny of the country, gripping a population with shock and disbelief.

The cost of everyday essentials, the basic needs like food has risen to unprecedented highs with a liter of processed milk now retailing for Shs.130, up from the previous cost of Sh. 75, the equivalent of one Dollar, while that of other commodities continue to compete on a free rise as unscrupulous traders connive with the government to rip off the already suffering Kenyan.

Majority of Kenyans eke out a precarious existence, some living off garbage while a raft of others sleep hungry hoping against hopes that tomorrow will be better, amid an avalanche of problems including run away corruption, high cost of living, poor sanitation due to a rise in population, mass unemployment, diseases ,poverty and deprivation.

Living below the poverty line

Unless the U.N redefines the popular cliché of “living below the poverty line” and sets it at three dollars a day, a colossal amount that most Kenyans will definitely not afford, it seems that one dollar can buy you nothing in Kenya now, save for a few rolls of chewing gum to assuage the dreadful pangs emanating from the empty stomach.

Or a  few rolls of toilet paper, a move which will be self defeating in that the trips to the lavatory will be infrequent and far between.

Tough times ahead

It beats logic to realize that a government cannot raise funds to finance its budget thereby resorting to hurting the already overtaxed Kenyan and subjecting him to untold suffering and hunger leaving him staring starvation, and death on the face.

And tough times are yet to come.

If Kenya Power, the company that supplies electricity decides to make good their threats of raising the cost of power due to the now effective VAT taxes, everything will shoot up, dealing the final and fatal blow to a population.

VAT Bill

The VAT Bill was passed in April 2013 and the president of the Republic of Kenya gave it the green light by assenting to its provisions, setting the stage for and seating as a judge in a case condemning Kenyans to” Death by Starvation”, and watching from the high table as the riffraff of the society, yours truly included, suffer from anguish and deprivation.

The Bill is reported to have imposed tax on previously zero rated items including foodstuff, bicycles, and a barrage of other basic necessities, only months after the new government assured Kenyans that the cost of living will be driven to an all time low and that essential goods will never be affected by the bill.

My crystal ball tells me that a hungry man is an angry man.

Kenyans are watching. Soon, push will come to shove and they will demand for justice.

Hut tax

A friend opined to this writer that during the colonial and postcolonial era, there were all sorts of taxes being levied to poor Kenyans, from the infamous hut tax, bicycle tax to a myriad of others, the government of the day defiled its populace left right and center, not only making life unbearable but also removing dignity from the very life, a scene that might sadly come back, half a century later.

I end where I started. The Kenyan scenario resembles the proverbial mother devouring her young ones.

The more things change, the more they remain the same. 

photo credits remain with respective owners.

Kenyans will never learn! Here are the ingredients of post election violence

Lessons from the party nominations

Kenyan politics are made from stuff that can make the most dramatic soap operas and make the masters of all soaps, the Mexicans, proud, but the only tragedy with this political drama is, the precision at which they so predictably turn tragic.

Last week I witnessed a gang of men knock out three canines from a young lad who had allegedly fled with campaign money which had been dished out by a politician. 

The incident happened near Kangemi where, as has been the custom when big shot politicians come calling and hunting for votes, youths, market women, street children and people of all walks the streets of life line up for the windfall that will be dished out and not for the unending promises that politicians make.

Now, this lad happened to be so near to the campaign trucks and when that time came, he was among the ones who grabbed wads of notes from the grubby fingers of campaign mandarins, and as predicted, made a mad dash that could have made David Rudisha proud.

Drama unfolded when a 500 strong army of hungry youths and market women descended on him, eager to get something from the fall, and man! It was a sight to behold as people rushed, bashed, jostled for space and outran each other in hot pursuit of the money laden guy.

Tragedy strikes

After about ten minutes of the gold rush, the fleeing guy’s journey was cut short by one sweep that knocked him to the ground and within no time, he had been relieved of all the money.

The tattered notes, some torn in half and others into minute pieces were strewn all over the place, perhaps to serve as a reminder to the locals of their greed for money, and just for the record, I saw a guy gobble up a wad of notes into his mouth.

Worried man

I was a worried man. Worried because I expected that at this day and age people should act with a certain degree of civility. Who knows, if they lined up and shared the cash in a civilized way, maybe everyone could have gotten something to take home and no money could have been wasted. But then I realized it the same Kenyans who are dirt poor and can’t wait to lay their hands on the money, some just to feed themselves.

I am not about to preach civility to Kenyans, because I know will fair badly off. But it’s time we changed our archaic and barbaric ways as far as political campaigns are concerned.

At about the same time, just when I was chatting with a heavily inebriated youth who was weak enough not to fight for the windfall, tragedy stroke.

There were cries and shrieks but one particular horrific wail signaled danger.

A man’s eye had been gorged out, and three of his front teeth knocked off. Reason, he breached a contract.

On getting closer, I realize he is the same man who bolted with campaign cash. It was a plan, I learn, by a group of youth to run away with the cash and the man made a fatal error when he fell, denying the others their lion’s share of the loot. And that was the price to pay.

Now this is the tragedy

Every five years, Kenyans live in peace, tolerate each other and work together regardless of their tribes and political affiliations, but come electioneering period, and they turn against each other, thanks to politicians who successfully divide them along tribal lines and feed them with stolen cash.

Most people get a smattering amount of this campaign money, some getting as little as KShs 20, money that cannot even buy a packet of milk!

The party nominations came around last Thursday and anyone who witnessed the tragic drama can bear with me that violence, voter bribery, mass importation of voters and sheer anarchy ruled the exercise, shaming Kenya as a democracy.

Two pence

If what we saw in the sham party nominations was a sneak preview of the general elections, we better be prepared for more anguish, more pain, more internally displaced persons, more bloodshed, courtesy of we Kenyans for allowing the politicians to use us.

When politicians use money to control our minds, when the police will be caught unawares again, we are poised to have the mother of all post election violence!

I rest my case!

Politically Incorrect!

 Politically incorrect

That Martha Wangari Karua, a presidential hopeful is worth only Sh.56 million is not only ridiculously unbelievable but also treacherous.

In a country where what you have and not what you can do is the only thing that matters, her confession yesterday  can only boost her political career and also prove to her doubting critics that her level of integrity as a leader is unrivalled.

56 million shillings is a lot of money by certain standards, but that coming from a presidential aspirant raises some questions as most Kenyans believe only the filthily rich can govern.

Just last week, The National Alliance, a political party that sponsors Deputy Prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta for presidency declared that it will use 13 billion shillings only to campaign for the next two months.

What is most appalling is that Kenyans cannot stand up and ask where they got all this money, but they will, in their usual characteristic fashion, worship the money and the leaders and forget about the modest and sincere leaders who have not stolen our money, leaders like Martha Karua.

Yesterday I met a friend who was complaining that every time she withdraws cash from her bank ATM, a cool 300 shillings disappears.

Her position was that a presidential front liner, who is among the majority shareholders in the said bank, might be robbing her hard earned money to campaign.

That aside, Kenyans might have gotten their answer in the form of Martha Karua.

If her figures are true, which I presume are, she is a person of modest means and there is general comfort in knowing that we can for once break from the power mandarins featuring the same names since independence, Names like Kenyatta, Odinga, Mudavadi, Moi have been circulated and regurgitated for the last half of a century, that s why Kenya will never move forward as these cronies are after safeguarding what their fathers had stolen in subsequent regimes.

Uhuru Kenyatta was estimated to be worth 56 billion shillings by the Forbe’s magazine.

It is completely clear that he is not after leading this country to greener pastures but to safeguard certain interests. What will a salary of 4 million that he will earn as president do to his fat wallet and treacherously deep pockets, anyway?

It is common knowledge that a Karua presidency will deliver the goods, at least for the dirt poor of this country whose interests have never been represented. They have only been raped by one regime after the other, they have been used, misused and abused, and they have witnessed stinking corruption, high levels of crime, murders, violence and have been made to kill each other after being divided along tribal lines by the so called leaders.

Now let’s look at the figures.

Martha Karua has represented Gichugu constituency for the last 20 years.  Let’s assume she earned a cumulated salary of KES 1 million per month. That amounts to a cool 12 million in one year.

Let’s multiply 12 million with the twenty years she has been in parliament. What do we have? 240 million shillings.

Factor in the lavish lifestyles that MPs live and the figure of 56 million in fixed assets, including a home and two vehicles, looks more than convincing.

That said; can all those doubting the figures stand up? And shut up!

That implies that we can now exempt Hon. Karua from corruption, thieffery, and misappropriation of funds. That’s the best measure on integrity.

Now let’s have a look at his rivals.

Peter Kenneth

Kenneth is a Member of Parliament representing Gatanga constituency in Murang’a County.

His history is scarce and scattered. He has been in parliament for the last ten years; he had a short stint heading the Kenya Football Federation and the Kenya Reinsurance.

Kenneth is a proud owner of three choppers each costing a staggering 300 million shillings, making him a big fish.

In simple terms, three choppers cost a whooping 900 million shillings, or rather five times what Matha Karua has earned for the entire 20 years she has been in parliament.

Peter kenneth is filthily wealthy. With all due respect, Kenyans might want to know just how you acquired the wealth, so be the gentleman you are and declare your wealth. I rest my case!