The Chair of the Parliament Service Commission, Moses Wetangula, had promised that journalists could freely enter Parliament. But now it turns out that’s not true.
After protestors invaded Parliament during anti-finance bill protests on June 26, journalists were not allowed inside.
Parliament said they were fixing things after the protestors damaged property.
Some people said certain journalists might be banned because they felt the media had let them down during the protests.
Speaker Wetangula met with the Media Council of Kenya, the Kenya Union of Journalists, and the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association.
He said no journalist was refused entry.
But journalists who wanted to cover important meetings on the 2024/2025 Supplementary Budget were kept waiting outside for a long time.
Later, Media Relation Officers said the media still couldn’t come in.
Surprisingly, it was found out that the media center built by the DANIDA foundation was now a storage room.
Speaker Wetangula said this was because of damage from the protests and that there was no other space.
He mentioned a new place near the Red Cross building where journalists could go, but people wondered why they chose the media center.
They had promised a new, modern media center in Parliament Square before, but nothing happened.
People worried that this meant less freedom for journalists.
Duncan Khaemba and Edwin Obuya from the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association said Parliament might use the protests as an excuse to control the media.
They were upset about the media center turning into a storage room.
Journalists like Josephat Thiongo and Samwel Owino also spoke out.
They said it was wrong for Parliament to push the media aside and use their space.
Overall, people were upset with how Parliament treated the media after the protests.
They worried about what would happen next for journalists who cover Parliament.
