admin
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has pledged to review a media law passed by parliament that has sparked outrage among the media. Kenyatta asked journalists on Saturday to report more responsibly, but said he would closely examine the law, which will only become effective once he signs it. “I shall look at the bill once it is forwarded to me with a view to identifying and addressing possible grey areas to ensure the new media law conforms to the constitution,” a statement from the presidency said, quoting Kenyatta at a public rally near the capital Nairobi.
This draconian bill realises the media’s worst nightmare, where government makes itself both judge and jury of what journalists say and how they say it.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kenyatta’s defeated rival for the presidency, urged him to throw out the new law. “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,” Odinga.
If passed into law the bill would lead to huge fines against journalists and media organisations that violated a code of conduct.
MPs voted in a late-night sitting on Thursday to set up a new Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal with the powers to impose penalties of up to $234 000 on offenders and even bar journalists from working. — AFP
Online Reporter