Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 215214,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/215214/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 145,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Raila",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 195,
        "legal_name": "Raila Amolo Odinga",
        "slug": "raila-odinga"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to oppose this Bill very strongly. Yesterday, I mentioned the reasons I oppose this Bill. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I said that one of the reasons is that this Bill violates Section 79 of our Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression. It is completely incomprehensible that, in this day and age, when this country is opening up its democratic space, a Government finds it necessary to bring such a Bill before this House. The freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Constitution. However, we have had a situation where that freedom was trampled upon by the Government for many years since Independence. The freedom that we enjoy today did not just come about because somebody wished it like in the Bible that; \"In the beginning, there was the word and the word was God and the word was also with God.\" Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, many Kenyans lost their lives in the process of the struggle to liberate this country to open up its democratic space. A number of journalists have also suffered as a result of restriction of the freedom of expression. I remember Mr. George Githii and Mr. Philip Ochieng' with his remark about the national ship and the consequences. I also remember Mr. Bedan Mbugua of Beyond who went to prison merely because of writing that there was rigging of elections during the queue-voting process of 1988. I also remember Messrs. Pius Nyamora, Gitobu Imanyara and Omoro Amina. The list of journalists who have suffered because of restriction of freedom of expression is very long! This is the reason I feel very strongly against the fact that the Government should now want to legitimise restrictions and oppression. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if passed and put into the hands of a Government, this Bill can sanction the raiding of media houses like what we saw, the other day, in The Standard newspaper premises in Likoni Road and the Kenya Television Network (KTN) station. It will spell doom to the independence of the media in this country! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, why was it necessary for Mamlukis to be hired to lead a raid on the KTN and The Standard premises? We are told that somebody said: \"We need this thing, so that we legitimise what we did to The Standard newspapers premises.\" Do we make a law just to deal with a particular newspaper group? Today, it is The Standard . Tomorrow, it will be"
}