Raila says State knew of the media Bill all along

Former Kenyan prime minister, Raila Odinga. He urges government to apologies for past abuses.PHOTO | FILE 

By NATION TEAM
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The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy has challenged the Jubilee government to be honest over the oppressive media Bill approved by Parliament on Thursday.

“All Government Bills originate from the Cabinet, which is chaired by the President. It is the Cabinet which clears the Bills for presentation for debate in the National Assembly. It is therefore dishonest for the AG to claim that the Government did not know what was being taken for debate,” Mr Odinga said.

“Those asking President Uhuru Kenyatta not to sign the Bill into law equally miss the point. The fact is that the President cleared this Bill in the form in which it was passed. We can only ask him to have a change of heart and refuse to sign it because it is bad for the country and goes against the Constitution,” he added.

The CORD leader said that a Bill cannot be said to have escaped the scrutiny of the Cabinet, which includes the President and the AG, unless something is seriously amiss in government. He was speaking during the burial of former intelligence officer Aloice Okinda in Murende Village, Busia County.

And Cotu Sunday welcomed President Kenyatta’s promise to seek media organisations’ input before appending his signature on a controversial Bill geared towards hampering press freedom.

“Let us not operate retrogressively. This Parliament has young people who should be championing social justice through the media instead of bringing up laws to muzzle them,” said Mr Atwoli yesterday at the Sarova Stanley Hotel in Nairobi.

The Chairman of the Governors Council Isaac Ruto also condemned the Bill saying it took the country back, after remarkable progress in media freedom.

“I urge Majority Leader (Aden) Duale to not use numbers in the House to terrorise the media,” said Mr Ruto.

On Saturday, President Kenyatta said he would engage various media stakeholders in looking at the contentious sections before signing the proposed law.

Journalists through the Kenya Editors Guild, Kenya Union of Journalists and the Kenya Correspondents Association have said the Kenya Information Communication (amendment) Bill is unconstitutional and should not have been passed.

The African Editors Forum (TAEF) described as “most disturbing that in this age”, such a draconian Bill against the media would be passed.

“We are confident a President who came through genuine democracy will not sign such a Bill...” said TAEF chairman Cheriff Sy in a dispatch from Ougadougou.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has strongly opposed the “most repressive media Bill” in the history of the nation.

And Kirinyaga County senator, Daniel Karaba yesterday dismissed the controversial media Bill as retrogressive and called on President Kenyatta to reject it.

UK-media publications have voiced concern over draconian press regulations laws being introduced by the government.

The Telegraph said Kenya’s “famously robust press” faces being “shackled” after MPs voted to dissolve a self-regulating media council similar to Britain’s and instead give government appointees powers to sack or fine journalists.