Fast-forward to 2018, when the Bill developed by the ICT ministry is deliberated, amended and approved exclusively by the National Assembly. On May 30, 2018, the CMCA, 2018 was operationalised, with stakeholders flagging unconstitutional provisions in the text of the law with an impact on free speech. In October 2020, the High Court declared the CMCA, 2018, together with 22 other laws, "unconstitutional, thus null and void". These pronouncements have effectively rendered the CMCA, 2018, fully operational, which explains the spike in the number of arrests and charges targeting journalists, media practitioners, students, and online users generally. Civil actions are preferred to criminal sanctions due to the potential the latter has in stifling free speech in a free and democratic society.

Source: The Star March 27, 2021 10:07 UTC