Kenyatta, Kagame under fire at media conference


President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda
at a past event. Photo/FILE
By Churchill Otieno, Special Correspondent
Posted Monday, April 14 2014 at 11:41
IN SUMMARY
President Uhuru Kenyatta criticised for signing into law legislation
giving the state the power to decide what journalists report.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was also criticised for limiting media freedom.
The criticism came during the official opening of the International
Press Institute 43rd world congress in Cape Town, South Africa, on
Sunday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya has been criticised for signing into
law legislation giving the state the power to decide what journalists
report.
Similar attention was given to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda for
limiting media freedom and called on him to allow independent
journalists to work freely.
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.
READ: Harsh laws threaten freedom of the media in the region
On Rwanda, the IPI boss said as the world marks the 20th anniversary
of the genocide, even though some local media played a "terrible role
in fanning ethnic hatred in 1994", reasonable space must be curved for
free expression.
"While there is no defence for such hate speech, we are concerned that
the Rwandan authorities use that experience to maintain tight control
over today's news media and call on the government to allow
independent media to flourish."
Globally, Turkey was identified as one of the worst countries for
press freedom and the world's leading jailer of journalists with 44
currently behind bars.
"Media owners' economic dependence on government connections continues
to stifle reporting in Turkey, as did the reported attacks by police
on dozens of journalists as they covered protests that erupted last
year following the brutal treatment of demonstrators opposing the
demolition of Gezi Park in Istanbul," she said.
IPI tracked 119 journalists killed in the line of duty in 2013, a
slight decline from the 133 who died in 2012. So far in 2014, more
than 20 have either been killed while on the job or died while on
duty.
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