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{
    "id": 216377,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/216377/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 189,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Muite",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 235,
        "legal_name": "Paul Kibugi Muite",
        "slug": "paul-muite"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I said that if we want to understand the motive, we have to approach the issue in totality of the surrounding circumstances and not from one narrow point. The reason why a Bill is published is to give notice to members of the public. The Bill has not come here, but because it was gazetted by the Government Printer, the amendments by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) Act, which he wants to amend in a very drastic manner, at the same time as he is bringing this Bill, to my mind, the only inference is absolute determination to control the media in this country. We, as Members of Parliament, unhappy as we might be because of bad coverage, and I, perhaps much more than other hon. Members, I have been a victim, but let us think in terms of the long-term interest of this nations. There is a price to be paid for everything. The media cannot be right all the time. The media must be permitted some latitude as long they are not doing it deliberately and they have got a disciplinary council that will deal with the complaints. That, to me, goes sufficiently far to enable the media to deal with the complaints. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other major failings of the current Bill is in the design of the Disciplinary Committee. I have great reservations about that. If you entrust the media with self-regulation and accept that the objective of this Bill is to enable the media to self-regulate, then you must automatically entrust the responsibility under the law to a disciplinary committee which will be constituted by the media to enforce those disciplinary measures. We may bring on board the Kenya Law Society of Kenya and one or two other people, but why are lawyers permitted to discipline themselves? Why do doctors discipline themselves? It is because they know when ethics have been breached and when they have not. Why do we want outsiders to be the ones to implement disciplinary measures against the media? If the media is self-regulatory, the flip side of that coin is that the disciplinary measures must be undertaken by an organ created within that statute by the Media Council. We should bring one or two lawyers but the majority must be from 2180 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 3, 2007 the media because they are the ones who know. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are talking about all media houses and not one. If the Disciplinary Committee consists of membership from all the media houses, and a number of outsiders like the Law Society of Kenya, then they are the ones best placed to know whether there has been violations of the code of conduct. The code of conduct, I agree must be passed off the statutes, but it is not for you and I to enforce those disciplinary measures. If we do, and yet, we are not in the media industry, we are not the best judges and we shall bring to bare all disciplinary proceedings and our private prejudices against the media, generally. I beg to oppose."
}