(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 6 September 2000 letter to President Daniel arap Moi, CPJ said it was disturbed by his stated intention of banning private radio stations from broadcasting in Kenya’s vernacular languages. On 31 August, at the opening of the Agricultural Society of Kenya show in Mombasa, the president accused private stations that broadcast […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 6 September 2000 letter to President Daniel arap Moi, CPJ said it was disturbed by his stated intention of banning private radio stations from broadcasting in Kenya’s vernacular languages.
On 31 August, at the opening of the Agricultural Society of Kenya show in Mombasa, the president accused private stations that broadcast in languages other than English and Kiswahili, Kenya’s two official languages, of undermining national unity and promoting tribal chauvinism. He also ordered Attorney General Amos Wako and Information, Transport, and Communication Minister Musalia Mudavadi to draft legislation that would force private stations to broadcast only in English and Kiswahili.
The president’s order has been widely interpreted as an attack on the recently-launched and tremendously popular Kameme FM, which broadcasts in Kikuyu, Kenya’s most widely-spoken vernacular language. The proposed legislation would also affect the Nairobi-based East FM, which caters to an Indian audience with broadcasts in English and Hindi, and the Eldoret-based Rehema Radio, which broadcasts mostly religious programs in the Kalenjin language. None of these stations are known for broadcasting politically controversial programs, according to CPJ sources in Kenya.
Banning vernacular broadcasting would contravene the right to freedom of expression and the press, enshrined in such internationally recognized legal standards as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. It would also violate section 79 of the Kenyan Constitution, which states that “no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression… [i.e., the] freedom to communicate ideas and information without interference.”
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– urging him to abandon his plan to ban vernacular broadcasting
– calling on him to foster an environment in which journalists may report on political and social issues in whatever language they choose without fear of reprisal
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
His Excellency Daniel arap Moi
President of Kenya
Office of the President
Harambee House
Nairobi, Kenya
Fax: +254 272 1515
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
