PH
As the world marked the world press freedom day on Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy have been accused of trying to kill the vibrant and critical Fourth Estate.
Former Rongai MP, Luka Kigen said that UhuRuto are doing everything possible to silence the media and individual journalists who are critical of their government.
Kigen said almost all media houses in Kenya have been forced to either tore the government’s line or face its wrath.
Speaking Tuesday in Nakuru town during the world press freedom day celebrations, Kigen said that since they took power, UhuRuto have been trying to pass certain laws aimed at muzzling the media.
He cited the various journalists who have been fired from different media houses after the government issued sack orders to their bosses.
“The current leadership is not a friend of the media and they have shown that openly by harassing media people who have tried to be critical of government. They tried passing laws that would have killed the media completely but thanks to our courts the laws were thrown out,” said Kigen.
“The media cannot claim to be free at this time because they have been forced to play to the government’s tune. Some media houses have been instructed by government not to invite people from opposition for interviews and this cannot be happening in a country with a free press,” he said.
He accused UhuRuto of forcibly turning the Kenyan media into a one-sided house by pocketing media owners and top journalists in the country.
“The government should stop turning the media into its own department,” he said.
Kigen called on the media fraternity to stand up and fight for the freedom they earned through blood.
