The ongoing protests have seen Citizen TV journalists Stephen Letoo and Seth Olale have been barred from Parliament in a move condemned as a blatant attack on press freedom. The ban, allegedly sanctioned by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) and backed by Speaker Moses Wetangula, comes in the wake of the journalists’ coverage of the recent anti-Finance Bill protests that saw youth storm the National Assembly.
Letoo and Olale have been accused of exposing MPs to security threats, a claim the journalists vehemently deny. They argue that their role is to inform the public about what transpires in Parliament, and that their coverage was objective and fair.
Read also;From Glamour to Despair- Vanessa Chettle’s Heartbreaking Journey
Media rights activists and opposition figures have decried the ban as an attempt to stifle dissent and control the narrative.
They warn that the move sets a dangerous precedent that could have far-reaching implications for press freedom in Kenya.
The ban has also raised concerns about the public’s right to access information. With two prominent journalists barred from covering Parliament, there are fears that the public will be deprived of crucial information about legislative processes.