Kenyan Journalists at risk

 

The circumstances under which Standard Group’s journalist Joseph Masha died recently are not clear. Many suspect foul play. In Kitale, photojournalist Dennis Otieno was shot dead yesterday by people said to have been on a mission to recover photos in his possession that could have been damning to somebody.

In Muranga County early this week, two journalists covering a student demonstration against the Kakuzi Company’s move to take 45 acres of a school land were beaten senseless by the company guards. This begs the question; why are journalists the target of individuals who do not want the truth known?

The work of a journalist in gathering and disseminating information is hard enough without all these other distractions. It is worth of note that even Parliament and the government have in the recent past enacted legislation whose aim is to muzzle the press.

Press censorship in Kenya is alive today. This negates the constitutional rights to freedom of expression and infringes on the journalists right to gather information and enlighten the public.

The government has a duty to protect journalist as it does everything possible to bring to book the perpetrators of these crimes. When the media operates in perpetual fear, it denies citizens their right to information a key ingredient in democracy. That should not be allowed.