Media stakeholders criticise PPS directive

By Augustine Oduor

Lawyers and stakeholders have strongly condemned the directive by the Presidential Press Service barring the media from covering presidential functions without a prior press invite.

Speaking on telephone, the Editors Guild chairman Macharia Gaitho termed such a directive "uncalled for and retrogressive".

Mr Macharia said the President voluntarily relinquished his privacy by virtue of being the Head of State.

"A president can not claim privacy as long as it is not within the confines of his bedroom," he said.

The University of Nairobi School of journalism lecturer Peter Oriare termed the directive "an affront to media freedom".

"It is unfortunate that such a directive may come from the President’s office in light of the gains we have made in Press Freedom."

Public resources

Mr Oriare said the President is a public figure and any function he attends is a public one because he uses public resources to attend.

It is very unlikely that the media would not attend such functions.

He said the media do not require any invitation from anybody to cover any function of public interest.

"Theoretically and principally, the media should not be invited to attend any function. Any invitation is just a courtesy because they may be invited but still fail to attend."

The dispatch, which is seen as the latest development in a steady and repetitive trend by presidential guards to gag the media, was sent to newsrooms on Monday evening.

City lawyer Paul Mwangi said the perception on public office is that one surrenders his or her right to privacy and is seen as public property.

He also added that whatever the President does is of public interest.

"By assuming the highest office in the land, the President lost claim to his right to privacy and his Press service must allow the media, on behalf of the public, to follow him," he said.

Mr Mwangi said it is a fundamental right of the Press to supervise the conduct of public office bearers.

In the letter to newsrooms, the PPS indicated no media house would be allowed to cover functions attended by the President without a ‘prior notification by State House.’

Oriare added the media should be allowed to play a watchdog role to the public without intimidation.

"If the media is supposed to keep the Government under check, how do we expect them to perform that role if we have to invite them to public functions."

The dispatch also confirmed the President’s commitment to media freedom given the high number of radio and television stations, magazines and newspapers in the Kenyan market.

Journalists have in the recent past been physically ejected from functions attended by the Head of State in separate incidents.

Last month, journalists were harassed in Central Province and the scenario repeated last Friday in Nanyuki.