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{
    "id": 1379933,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1379933/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 113,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 170,
        "legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
        "slug": "bonny-khalwale"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I strongly agree with Sen. Wakili Sigei about his fears for our media. It is shocking that using the tool of violence and money, governors are making it difficult for the public to know how well we oversight them. A case in hand is when the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget had a meeting outside the precincts of Parliament to unearth abuse of office and misuse of public funds by the County Government of Kakamega. We were there for two days and some of the functions were being covered in real time by the media, but nothing came out. It is because the Governor had intimidated the media practitioners using violence and money. Media practitioners, especially the Kenya Editors’ Guild, should help us in ensuring that professional ethics are maintained by reporters on the ground and those who are here in Nairobi, so that when information comes from the grassroots, it must be aired from Nairobi. What happens in between is that money is exchanged and important information dies. If we do not kill the power of money and violence, our oversight responsibility will die. I therefore urge the Committee to do more. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we should also be alive to the fact that media is a changing profession. A person who yesterday was, say, a practitioner in alternative media – even a far-fetched as those people who write on social media platforms – can now become a media practitioner. We should protect even those who transmit information through social media as long as it is ethical and professional. I thank you."
}