Kenya press freedom rapidly deteriorating, rights group says
Jul 15, 2015, 2:18 AM
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Press freedom is deteriorating in Kenya as a result of government legislation, threats and attacks, a media rights group said Wednesday.
Kenya’s constitution adopted in 2010 guarantees media freedom but since taking power in 2013 President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee coalition has introduced several bills calling for harsh fines and jail terms for journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
One law, currently suspended by the courts, could de-register journalists and prevent them from working for not following vague principles such as “sticking to issues,” the report says. The law also created a government-controlled tribunal which could impose fines on individual journalists of $5,000 and to media companies of $200,000 for breaching the code of conduct.
Journalists are being threatened, intimidated and attacked and the government is often the culprit, the report said.
The deteriorating climate for the media comes at a time when press scrutiny and public discussion are essential for continued development of Kenya’s democracy and economy, the report said.
The report said that one of the issues that need public discourse and press scrutiny is the security threat from al-Shabab, the Islamic militants based in neighboring Somalia who’ve claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Kenya including for the April massacre at Garissa University that killed at least 147 people and the 2013 extremist attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall. Also needing press scrutiny, according to the report, is the situation for Kenya’s deputy president who is under indictment from the International Criminal Court, although similar charges were dropped against the president.
“Security operations, anti-terror operations, the ICC case, state spending, land deals, and corruption are the most sensitive topics most likely to get journalists in trouble,” said the CPJ report.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
