CPJ calls on Kenyan authorities to ensure accountability in attacks on press covering protests
Nairobi, April 5, 2023—Kenyan authorities should thoroughly and credibly investigate recent attacks on journalists covering protests and ensure that the perpetrators are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Protests took place in parts of Kenya on three different days between March 20 and 30, led by the opposition Azimio la Umoja…
CPJ joins letter calling on Kenya to ensure internet access is maintained throughout election
In a joint letter addressed to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, June 21, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined 51 other organizations calling on authorities to ensure free and secure internet access during the country’s upcoming general elections, scheduled for August 9. The organizations, all members of the #KeepItOn Coalition against internet shutdowns, note…
Kenyan parliament passes repressive media bill
New York, October 15, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the passage late Wednesday by Kenya’s national assembly of a bill that would impose a harsh fine or two years in jail, or both, for a journalist who is found guilty of defaming the Kenyan parliament or its members. The bill must be approved by…
Mission Journal: Will Obama’s visit boost hopes for press freedom in Kenya?
President Barack Obama is expected to address a range of topics when he arrives in Kenya tomorrow. The Kenyan government says it plans to discuss security and trade, while opposition parties and civil society want good governance and human rights added to the agenda, according to news reports. We hope the discussion includes the commitments…
Forced to flee false perceptions, ICC, and Kenyan press
EDITOR’S NOTE: February 15, 2014 marked one year since Omwa Ombara arrived in the U.S. to seek political asylum after attempts on her life in Kenya between May and December 2012. She fled her native land after being contacted by International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators probing the violence that followed the Kenyan elections in 2007-2008,…
Pressure on Journalists Rises Along With Africa’s Prospects
After a decade of unprecedented growth and development, the insistence on positive news remains a significant threat to press freedom in sub-Saharan Africa. By Mohamed Keita A newspaper displayed in the Ikoyi district of Lagos on September 30, 2013, tells of a deadly attack on a college in northeast Nigeria by suspected Boko Haram militants.…
Advertising and Censorship in East Africa’s Press
The printed word is thriving in parts of Africa, but advertisers’ clout means they can often quietly control what is published. By Tom Rhodes Kenyans read election coverage in the Mathare slum in Nairobi, the capital, on March 9, 2013. One reason that advertising revenue trumps circulation for East Africa’s newspapers is that readers often…
Kenya parliament passes draconian media laws
Nairobi, December 5, 2013–Kenya’s National Assembly today passed contentious anti-press legislation, the Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Act and the Media Council Act, which will effectively silence critical reporting through a new government-controlled regulator and the threat of hefty fines.