By Athman Amran

Information minister Samuel Poghisio, a former journalism lecturer and one of the architects of the draconian Media Bill, is a master of contradiction.

Brought up under the umbrella of the Anglican Church, on the feet of late Archbishop Alexander Kipsang Muge, at the height of the Kanu’s monolithic rule, he sat in Parliament for only four months before the party expelled him.

Why? Along with the late Home Affairs minister Francis Lotodo, he supported Muge in his accusation that the provincial administration was exacerbating the famine situation in West Pokot by skimming off relief food sent by government and humanitarian groups.

In Parliament, when ten years later he made it back after a stint at Daystar University, Poghisio would joke that he holds the record of the MP who served for the shortest period in Kenya.

The second contradiction lies in the fact that very much unlike the image of a man who steered legislation of media raids and seizure of broadcast facilities by Government, Poghisio was succoured at a tender age with the virtues Muge stood and died for. He is also a key member of the Parliamentary Christian Union, a down to earth MP and boasts one of the humblest upbringings in the House.

Media raids

Perhaps until of course you scratch beneath the surface and unmask a different Poghisio who, imbued with power, has no qualms with repressive and repugnant laws.

Having lived under repressive Idi Amin regime in Uganda, those close to Poghisio feel he should be the last person to want to muzzle the Press. This, however, is about to become a reality after the Tenth Parliament passed the Kenya Communication (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday — a law that would legalise raiding of newsrooms.

The Bill awaits consent from President Kibaki.

West Pokot, where Poghisio was born 50 years ago, was administratively placed in Uganda. And when West Pokot became part of Kenya, were it not for the freedom of expression and the boldness of the Press, Poghisio might never have been Kacheliba MP, a seat he first won in 1988. The constituency was curved out of West Pokot District the previous year.

He was condemned to a political Siberia just four months after winning the Kacheliba parliamentary seat when Kanu expelled him.

The minister was saved from the throes of political oblivion when Kanu was ‘tamed’ through freedom of expression and a bold Press, which was used by politicians fighting for political change in the 1980s.

This led to the repeal of Section 2(a) of the Constitution in 1991, ending the single party rule era. This offered a reprieve to those expelled from Kanu.

If this did not happen, Poghisio might never have reclaimed the Kacheliba seat in 1997 on a Kanu ticket after being in the political cold for nine years.

Poghisio and Lotodo were expelled from Kanu after they accused the Government of denying West Pokot people food during famine.

Poghisio was not in the good books of the Provincial Administration, which had reportedly tried to block him from winning Kanu nominations.

"They even followed me to Parliament," he was quoted as saying during an interview with The Standard on Sunday in 2002.

After they were expelled from Kanu, the two lost their parliamentary seats on technical grounds — being party-less in the then one-party Government.

Poghisio lost Kacheliba and Lotodo lost his Kapenguria seat, which led to by-elections.

Peter L Nang’ole won the Kacheliba seat in the 1990 by-election and was re-elected in the 1992 General Election on a Kanu ticket.

But when Kanu repealed Section 2(a), ushering in multi-party democracy, the party expulsions ended and Poghisio, Lotodo and others who had been expelled were welcomed back.

Before facing the harsh realities of the one-party State, Poghisio had earlier faced an absolute dictatorship of Amin under whose rule the Press was repressed coupled with rampant human rights abuses.

When Amin ruled Uganda between 1971 and 1979, after overturning the Milton Obote government, Poghisio was a student in Uganda.

Fear everywhere

During an interview with The Standard on Sunday in 2002, he recalled the moments under Amin: "We were living under constant fear of the unknown. You had to pray to God every morning to be able to reach your destination.

"Some students were executed by firing squads. Roadblocks dotted every road and there was one placed on the Mbale Road, which I used on my way to college. It was tense".

The minister went to Amudat and Kalaas primary schools in Uganda between 1965 and 1972. He later joined Nabumali High school, also in Uganda, for his ‘A’ levels.

While Poghisio was at Makerere University, Amin was still President. He graduated during the transition of power in 1980 after Amin was ousted with the help of Tanzanian forces.

Poghisio’s interest in communications came later in life but has never had the experience of working in the media.

He pursued a degree in biological sciences, botany and zoology at Makerere.

After teaching Chemistry at Chewoiyet High School in Kacheliba for a year, his interests turned to communications.

This was after attending a five-week course at Daystar University on the Foundations of Christian Communication Strategies.

He later applied for a Master’s degree in Communications at Wheaton University, US. He graduated in 1987 with an MA in Communications. He later studied Philosophy and Theology between 1989 and 1992 and graduated with a Masters Degree in Divinity at Lincoln University, US.

After graduation, he worked with the Eldoret Diocese of Anglican Church as a project coordinator in charge of West Pokot.

He later became a lecturer at Daystar University in 1993, and in 1995, he became senior lecturer and head of department.

Rehabilitated back into politics through the introduction of multi-party politics, Poghisio seems to have locked horns with the same tool that helped him rise to where he is.

The minister, who is ODM-Kenya chairman, recently announced he would vie for the presidency in 2012.

Press freedom

By having an ambition to be President, he has been viewed as a challenger of ODM-K party leader Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Recently, former Bahari MP Joe Khamisi had wanted to unseat Poghisio but he settled for first vice-chairman post.

Khamisi had accused Poghisio of having made the party dormant since the beginning of the year by not calling party meetings and failing to strengthen the party at the grassroots.

Incidentally, Poghisio’s party’s manifesto, unlike the rest, is silent on press freedom, choosing to just loosely refer to "an environment that allows individual rights and freedom".