Judges Isaac Lenaola, Mumbi Ngugi and Weldon Korir validated the Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Act and the Media Council Act. The High Court on Friday declared as constitutional laws that silence critical reporting and imposes hefty fines on journalists and media firms. This will make journalists and media houses shy away from critical reporting and might kill investigative journalism for fear of hefty fines. Their judgment arose out of a case filed by three media houses, the Media Council of Kenya, the Kenya Editor’s Guild, the Kenya Union of Journalists and the Kenya Correspondents Association. Also declared unconstitutional is Section 6(2)(c ) of the Media Council Act for being vague in its description of what constitutes matters of national security.

Source: The Star May 27, 2016 07:26 UTC