By Henry Maina

The International Press Institute this week released a report that indicted Kenya as one of the most insulated governments globally. In its report, which measured the willingness and speed of government sources when answering questions from journalists, Kenya was ranked among the worst. It scored zero alongside Turkey and Yemen in the survey.

This report augments the findings of two others released on Kenya recently. The Public Complaints Committee, in its recent report, pointed out that Government offices and agencies do not respond to more than 59 per cent of complaints and requests for information about service delivery. This means that even internally the Government is not accountable to itself, a fact that was also made public by the Prime Minister’s address to Cabinet ministers in Mombasa recently.

Further, Transparency International report released last week ranked the country as the worst in East Africa. This scenario begs one question, especially when it is seen in the context that the Government is not accessible to its citizens and not least journalists who seek information yet we have the proposed regulations on broadcasting seeking to criminalise unconfirmed reporting. Will all journalists who use their own sources to get information on Government goings-on be guilty as charged when the regulations come into force?

From the public court of justice, such journalists will not be guilty. Denial of information, especially straightforward information means our so-called reform process may at best just be a false pregnancy.

Three things are fundamental for the office of the Prime Minister given that it has the onerous responsibility of supervising all ministries. First, the ongoing consultations on 14 sets of regulations by the Ministry of Information and Communication must germinate from the seedbed of a government interested in proactive disclosure of information. This would be a radical departure from the proposals, which criminalise investigative journalism by reference to unconfirmed reporting.

Second, the Government must of necessity review the role of the office of public communication and ensure that all requests for information are effectively responded to and in good time.

Third and most important, the Office of the Prime Minister has to lead from the front in a speedy enactment of an access to information law for it is only with such legislation that supervision and monitoring of service delivery is possible.