Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has been criticised for signing into law legislation giving the state the power to decide what journalists report.
The criticism came during the official opening of the International Press Institute 43rd world congress in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday.
In her formal report to the congress on the state of press freedom worldwide, IPI executive director Alison Bethel McKenzie told delegates of increasing attacks on journalists.
“Kenya is another concern. President Kenyatta has signed legislation … the Information and Communication Act … that we believe would lead to state control of news and information during emergencies, plus give the government the power to perform functions currently executed by the country’s Media Council.”
She said IPI had protested the new measures by the Kenya government and acknowledged that local journalists had moved to the courts to fight for their freedom.
“Kenyan journalists are not about to have their rights trampled on.
They’ve filed legal challenges against the Information and Communication Act on the grounds that it is unconstitutional,” Ms McKenzie said.
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