The Lamu County Assembly was at the centre of yet another incident involving journalists on Thursday when two reporters were chased out of a public gallery by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Charles Ochieng from the Kenya News Agency and Abdulaziz Nameka from TV47 were attending an afternoon session in a bid to cover the story on the adjournment of the assembly that was showing solidarity with other county assemblies.
As they were at the gallery, the Sergeant-at-Arms approached them, instructing them to leave the assembly on the alleged instruction of Majority Leader.
The journalists expressed disappointment, terming the incident as an act of impunity and a violation of media freedom expressed in the 2010 Constitution.
“This is the highest order of impunity as far as the freedom of the media is concerned,” stated Ochieng.
Nameka also expressed his dissatisfaction and wondered how a journalist could be instructed to leave the assembly premises by a Sergeant-at-Arms, especially given that the press is the Fourth Estate that plays a critical role in promoting transparency and accountability in government.
The journalists’ expulsion from the assembly premises sparked outrage among media stakeholders and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) which called on the Lamu County government to respect media freedom and provide unfettered access to county assembly proceedings.
“We urge the county government to respect media freedom and ensure that journalists who are covering the assembly sessions are not harassed or intimidated by any government officials,” said Mohamed Skanda, Lamu MUHURI coordinator.
The incident is not the first time journalists have faced intimidation and harassment while covering county assembly proceedings.
