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THE MEDIA AND PRESS FREEDOM: IS IT A DOOM IN KENYA?



Kenya claims to have made a step in the communication sector by enacting the following bills to bolster media freedom; the Revised Media Bill, Freedom of Information Bill, revised Kenya Information and Communication Bill and Independent Communications Commission Bill. These bills are a welcome to media practitioners as per se. Though there are reduced cases of journalists dying in the line of duty, much need to be done. The constant threats against journalist must be investigated and brought to book if the government needs to put good its promise of a free press.

Uhuru Kenyatta is doing the best of his attempt to charm the fourth estate with tea after a press conference. His free and friendly approach should transcend just the tea parties to stamping authority against any threats that potentially drains the free flow of information. He should caress the four media bills with a touch of sincerity and passion. As a watchdog, Kenyatta should also understand that, the media will not go slow on him and therefore be steadfast to stand right even when criticisms are directed towards him. 

The members of the fourth estate should also be fair by instilling discipline in dissemination of information. It is a sharp irony when we are on the forefront to protest that those in authority are not doing not much in protect our right when we are the first to retrogress our own achievement. 

The press must show that it is liberal by disseminating information as impartial as the news can get. We have had cases where the free press has been used to disseminate propaganda and fallacies in the face of protecting the interests of Kenya. The 2013 elections are a typical example of the press redundancy in the dissemination of information. 

The freeze on the media stations clearly showed that the achievements so made in the struggle for the free flow information were gains that only made journalist and media owners to get fat cheques and profits respectively while they sat on the truth.  2013 elections clearly showed the impartiality on Kenya’s media fraternity as everyone grew cold. Skeptics will have it that, the media were doing whatever they did in light of what happened in 2007. That they were checking on conditions to retain normalcy and peace in the country. The denial of the public to know the truth on escalates to bloodshed and not otherwise. 

By keeping everyone in the dark, though the media think that they won the war on ethnic cleansing that would have followed the elections, they just did what anybody with the profession would call; balderdash. Michela Wrong, in her outburst to Kenyan media said: “Any journalist worth their salt should start feeling itchy when praised by those in authority. The recent accolades will chafe as more polling irregularities become public. The media should be asking themselves whether, in their determination to act responsibly, they allowed another major abuse to occur right before their eyes.”(http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/erring-on-the-side-of-caution-kenyas-media-undercovered-the-election/)

It therefore counts on us to not only raise our hands when the chain of command pulls at our balls but also stand on the altar of disseminating information responsibly. In so doing, maybe we shall earn the ever evasive media and communications freedom.

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