Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno has condemned the National Assembly's move to pass the controversial Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Bill.
Speaking in his office on Wednesday, Chemno said that the move by members of parliament is out of order and that bill will erode gains made in achieving media freedom and is aims at shielding them from public scrutiny.
"What is wrong with the media covering parliaments live proceedings? Do they have anything that they are hiding? What is wrong with the media exposing corruption and misuse of public funds. I think they are hiding something that they don't want to be in the public domain," he said.
"I urge the president not to assent to the bill into law since it will bring this country into past days where the media did not have any freedom and things were happening in the dark such as killing of innocent people, embezzlement of public funds by members of parliament and other government officials without anyone highlighting on them," he added.
The bill sponsored by Eldas Member of Parliament Adan Keynan had contentious clauses that are seen by many as likely to gag journalists.
Keynan has proposed the deletion of clause 27, which requires journalists to seek parliamentary approval before publishing proceedings of parliament or any of its committees, and clause 34, which introduces the offences of defamation and ‘scandalous libel’ on parliament.
However, he could not gunner the required numbers to delete the clauses.