Azimio: Threats To Media By Ruto's Govt To Increase
Wandayi asked Kenyans to view threats towards the media as a threat to democracy...
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The Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition has expressed fear that the attacks on Kenyan journalists by President William Ruto's government would increase with time.
In a press release, National Assembly Minority party leader and Ugunja Member of Parliament (MP) Opiyo Wandayi faulted a section of government officials as well as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) for their spate of attacks targeting media houses and members of the Fourth Estate.
Wandayi had singled out MCK for pressuring media houses to release footage and photos of the alleged police raid that occurred at the residence of former Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Fred Matiang'i on the night of Wednesday, February 8, terming the tactic a move to bar journalists from reporting on such eventualities in the future.
Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi. /CAPITAL GROUP
He also claimed that the Kenya Kwanza government had threatened journalists with dire consequences for reporting on the number of deaths recorded due to famine ravaging different parts of the country.
"We expect that these threats will increase as the Kenya Kwanza regime begins to face the reality that it has failed to deliver on the populist promises made on the campaign trail and as the regime feels the pressure of Kenyans affected by the worsening economic situation in the country," the statement read in part.
The lawmaker feared that such threats to the media risked undermining the functionality of the press as well as the freedom of the press in trouble.
Wandayi asked Kenyans to view threats towards the media as a threat to democracy, given that the media plays a key role in society, and urged both local and international media channels to stand strong against the threats.
"We urge the media both local and foreign to refuse to be cowed. We also ask Kenyans to view threats to journalists and media as a whole as threats to our struggling democracy.
"Let us all understand that this threat to the media and erosion of press freedom is a precursor to the breakdown of all other democratic institutions and principles," the statement added.
The media was on Monday, March 6 subject to accusations by Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot of the country's Fourth Estate being a 'powerful and influential cartel' and had expressed President Ruto's confidence in crushing the cartels in Kenya but feared that he might struggle with two he termed as extremely powerful; the Kenyan banks and the Kenyan media.
His sentiments drew sharp criticism from the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) to NTV under the Nation Media Group (NMG), whose news anchor, Smriti Vidyarthi, took the first four minutes of the 9 pm news bulletin to express concerns regarding Cheruiyot's remarks deemed a threat to press freedoms.
“We choose to understand the word crushing on its plain meaning which is compressing or squeezing something forcefully to break, damage or distort its shape.
“If crushing things is a government policy, then there is surely no shortage of things to crush like the high cost of living, high fuel prices, the price of unga, the free fall of the shilling. That would be a good place to start,” the news anchor stated.
Vidyarthi was soon joined by former Defence Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eugene Wamalwa who appreciated the media for standing firm against threats by politicians to undermine freedom of expression, adding that he would protect members of the Fourth Estate as they carry out their duties.
On Thursday, March 9, award-winning veteran investigative journalist John Allan Namu narrated how a wholesale attack on the media fraternity that used to trigger outrage has slowly become acceptable to members of the public.
