Journalists evicted from Parliament in wake of protests

The decision was communicated by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wentangula on Wednesday morning during a meeting that included the Media Council of Kenya, the Kenya Union of Journalists, and the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association.

According to Speaker Wetangula, the Media Centre has been 'temporarily' converted into a storage space for items damaged during the demonstrations.

The PSC has allocated a room adjacent to the Red Cross building to serve as a temporary media centre for journalists covering Parliament, a location far removed from the Parliament building.

"The structure previously used as a media centre has been repurposed into a storage facility to allow insurance assessors to evaluate the damage from the demonstrations. There was no larger space available to accommodate the damaged items," Wetangula informed the meeting.

Assuring journalists, Speaker Wetangula stated that the situation would be temporary. He also reassured media practitioners that no journalist would be barred from covering Parliament following the invasion by demonstrators.

"The Parliamentary Service Commission, under my leadership, is committed to establishing a state-of-the-art media centre within Parliament Square to better facilitate parliamentary reporters in fulfilling their mandate," he added.

Journalists have faced challenges covering Parliament since the invasion, with access still restricted to certain floors of Bunge Towers and Continental House. The Chairperson of the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association, Duncan Khaemba, acknowledged the difficulties but emphasized their determination.

"Freedom of the media, guaranteed under Article 34, and access to information for every citizen under Article 35, must and shall be protected at all costs," he asserted.

"Parliamentary journalists play a critical role in informing and educating the country on all parliamentary activities that impact society. As KPJA, we understand this significant responsibility and will remain vigilant," he added.

Journalists covering Parliament are suspicious that the Parliament may exploit the invasion as a pretext to infringe on constitutional rights.

"It's unfortunate that out of all the available spaces, Parliament has chosen the media centre for storage," remarked Samuel Owino of the Nation newspaper.

"This marks the initial step towards completely barring media from the Parliament precincts, contrary to Article 118 of the Constitution. They are testing boundaries," he concluded.

Josephat Thiongo, who covers Parliament for the Standard newspaper, criticized the PSC's decision as ill-advised.

"The PSC's decision to relegate media to the outskirts of Parliament and deny them access to the precincts not only undermines media freedom but also violates it. It is concerning that the existing media centre has been converted into a storage facility," he expressed.