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"id": 238526,
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"speaker_name": "Prof. Anyang'-Nyong'o",
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"legal_name": "Peter Anyang' Nyong'o",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank all hon. Members, including my friend, Mr. Wamwere. But I would also like to remind him that, although Zachaeus was a tax collector, he went to eat with Jesus in his home. Nicodemus, too, went by night to see Jesus. So, I think we are in a free society. We can associate, knowing fully well that we have all our shortcomings and good deeds. I would also like to remind my friend, the hon. Daktari, that, in deed, the Bill, as we are going to present it, will have exemptions. To have freedom of information is not to have a licence. Exemptions will deal with the security of the Republic, or its relations with a foreign state or an international organisation. It will cover the central financial policy like the monetary foreign exchange policy and so on. Those are usually not open to public scrutiny for good reasons. It will also deal with inspection control of other supervisory activities and bodies. Once you give a body like the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) the constitutional responsibility of doing something, it is with good reasons that those things are not necessarily open. It is in the public interest that they do so. But that has to be prescribed by the law. So, I think we are in safe grounds in doing so. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to spend a few minutes to address the issue of the media. The media is that organ that works in public interest, to promote and defend freedom of information. I want to pay tribute to the people in the media world who, in the past, have really October 18, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3005 suffered for defending the freedom of information. They are people like my friend, Salim Lone, the Editor of Eve Magazine at one time; my friend Odhiambo Okite; the Editor of Target ; my friend Bob Isaac Mwamuto, who ran a very popular programme in the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) - Maishani ni Afya . But that programme was not very popular with the authorities. Others include my friend, Ramogi Achieng' Oneko, who pioneered journalism in this country as the Editor of Ramogi ; Philip Ochieng', during his days in the Sunday Nation ; Rev. Andrew Hake, who pioneered Rock Magazine in this country; Gitobu Imanyara, the former Editor of Nairobi Law Monthly ; Paul Amina, who was mentioned by my friend, Mr. Raila; Rev. John Henry Okullu, who edited Target in the dark days; George Githii, who wrote for the Nation for many years and worked as an editor and, of course, Bedan Mbugua of Beyond . Those are people who have used their pens to spread freedom and defend democracy in this country. They also suffered for it. I know that my friend, Mr. Lawford Imunde, was sent to detention simply for recording certain things in his diary for posterity. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to remind the Fourth Estate that they should go by certain principles in defending the freedom of information. First, do unto others as you would like others to do unto you. Secondly, do not use the pen as an instrument of tyranny and fear mongering. Use the pen as an instrument of liberation, promotion and defence of human dignity and democracy. Thirdly, do not speak through the wires to spread dogma. Speak through the wires to inform, enlighten and entertain. Do not use the electronic media to spread dogma! Use it to inform, enlighten and entertain. Fourthly, let us all speak with frankness and openness, with all the information available in the formal sector. The formalisation of information in what is called the \"Gutter Press\" is detrimental to the media fraternity as a whole. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have reached a very unfortunate period in our history. We seem to accept, as part of reality, that the Press must be divided into two. One is the formal Press which we respect, and the other is the informal Press which we call the \"Gutter Press.\" Information is used in the Gutter Press without any responsibility or accountability. So long as we continue to have this phenomenon, the media fraternity, as a whole, will be hurt. Therefore, the formal media should not think that they are okay simply because they are respected, and that the so- called informal media continues with information that is, quite often, detrimental to society. The media fraternity, as a whole, is put to jeopardy in so far as we have the so-called informalisation of information in the Gutter Press. I, therefore, appeal to the media fraternity to approach this issue as one that concerns them all. Finally, another principle by which the media should use the freedom of information is to understand that their treasures are piled up in heaven and not in this world."
}