National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi photo

 

 National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi asks media owners to ensure that their workers are well paid.


Addressing the media at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi on Monday during the World Press Freedom Day celebrations, the Speaker said that journalists warrant good pay following the kind of work they are doing including risking their lives.

"For this conversation to make sense, today is my day to ask the media owners in this country to pay our children – their reporters and news crew very well. They deserve it.


"Today is my day to ask media owners to pay our children, reporters and correspondents very well; pay them well first and then demand integrity, otherwise we risk making them captives of government and news sources.


 “I recently watched Purity Mwambia’s incisive documentary on Citizen TV and I was both shocked and worried for her. The risks involved, but also for the courage to go for the story. But in the end, how much do these people take home?" he asked.


Muturi added that free and independent media, publishing accurate and true information is the foundation of a vibrant democracy and national development.


The National Assembly adopted and continues to endeavour to guarantee that journalists have access to useful and important information from most committee sittings, including videos, audio, minutes of the meetings, and reports.


"I know some of the journalists and editors do not have great things to say about the institution of Parliament. But I believe that this is due to a lack of information about what we have done to make access to public legislative information efficient. I will mention a few things,” Muturi said.


"If we go rogue and pass illegal laws, any Kenyan can take us to court and have those laws annulled. But what happens if the media goes rogue? That becomes tricky. Because when it comes to the media, it matters who assigns that label.”

The speaker added that Kenyan journalists have very powerful statutory allies in Articles 33, 34, and 35 of the Constitution which talk about freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information, respectively.

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