SPEAKER WETANG’ULA PROMISES OPEN MEDIA ACCESS IN PARLIAMENT
The National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula said on Wednesday that there is no journalist who has been barred from coverage in Parliament.
This follows claimed that plans were underway to lock out some journalists from covering events in the National Assembly after what transpired on June 25, 2024, when protesters stormed Parliament buildings.
Wetang’ula made the comments when the Parliamentary Service Commission met with a delegation from the Media Council of Kenya, Kenya Union of Journalists, and the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association.
“The media is an integral stakeholder in facilitating effective delivery of Parliamentary work and in informing the public while ensuring National values on transparency and accountability are achieved,” he said in a statement.
However, the Speaker said that the main Parliament building has been restricted to members due to a lot of damage that took place last month.
The restriction was also to ensure an insurance company is given access to the extent that will help in replacement and repair.
The resolutions part of which is the setting up of a temporary media centre at the Red Cross and County Buildings where accredited Parliamentary journalists will operate.However, no specific timelines for this were mentioned.
The Speaker instructed the clerk to engage all stakeholders to ensure that the structure meets the specifications.
Furthermore, it was agreed that parliamentary committees remain open to the media despite the current restrictions.
The Parliamentary Service Commission declared its resolve to establish an Ultra-Modern Media Centre within the Parliament Square.
He says this will make it easier for Parliamentary reporters to serve the countrymen better.
Moreover, the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association, KPJA, through its chairman Duncan Khaemba, lamented about restricted access to the press gallery.
The PSC, as a sign of good will, allowed media to cover the proceedings but with strict adherence to the set regulations, down to the dress code.
Parliamentary reporters will also have to be freshly accredited to lock out any impersonators from accessing the buildings.
There are roughly 200 journalists accredited to cover parliament.
The exercise will help manage the number of journalists and at the same time allow media houses to ‘rotate’ their staff as they wish.
The Media Council of Kenya CEO David Omwoyo, the head of the Kenya Union of Journalists Eric Oduor and the Chairman of the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association KPJA Duncan Khaemba and its Secretary-General Julius Otieno were also present during this meeting.
