Law on access to information was long overdue

By signing into law the Access to Information Act 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta opened a new chapter in Kenyans’ quest for information on public matters. The assent marks the culmination of several years of advocacy, undertaken principally by civil society and the media. We as a newspaper, welcome the law noting that all Kenyans have a right to information. The fight for a law guaranteeing access to public information has been long and winding with various regimes fearing that it would expose the ills in government. The current legislation, now signed into law, was sponsored to the National Assembly as a private members Bill by Nyeri County Women Representative Priscilla Nyokabi.

With the new legislation, Kenya is the 21st country in Africa to pass an access to information law. Pundits argue the enactment of the law heralds a new era for transparency, since citizens will now access and use information to hold the government accountable and promote good governance.