Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 02:39:56 -0800 [04:39:56 AM CST]
From: Ngari
Subject: Re: Communications Bill is not Just about the Media
When we have this debate and conclude it, the thing is Kibaki has already signed the darn thing. What is the media calling it?
Draconian? Well, very good coinage of words there but then again, something to get us thinking.
Positive side of Kibaki shining the bill is, the media fraternity now knows that they ought to put in place mechanisms that are strong and credible like the LSK to deal with their erring lot, and The’re many believe me. Let no one lie to us that media fraternity is clean and spotless like they always want us to believe. A wake up call, before the law is amended, get your house in order!
On 1/4/09, Robert Alai wrote:
Mureithi
Find attached here the arguments of Alfrred Mutua.
Very shallowly informed as always
Robert
On 1/4/09, Robert Alai wrote:
Mureithi
The Acti is ugly. It bans the very things which increases employment in the country. The bill has many imaginations like hacking which I dont know how they are going to implement because the country has no capacity and even USA with such a capacity has always found it hard to implement.
The ACT bans reprogramming of cellphones. Do you know that Nokia and other phone manufacturers releases patches always for sealing security holes and for flashing phones/ The Kenyan government has just made that illegal. The repurcussion is that more youth who were employed in the bbackstreet doing business of repairing phones are going to have the police raid them now and then in the name enforcing the law. I dont know why you support the ACT but I have a feeling that you know very little about it despite you being a lawyer.
The bill talks about the government reading your mail. Its all mail including those sent through the post office. The minister doesnt have to have a court order now but now will do so at his own liking. Infact its something which sends chilling messages on the spine of Kenyans and my take here and encouragement to Kenyans is to really minimise the use of Post office mails and also Kenyans who are fightingg for freedom in this country must stop using mail addresses from wananchi online, iconnect, access kenya and all local ISPs. Use gmail and yahoo and hotmail. The Kenyan government have no capacity to hack onto your Yahoo, Hotmail a d Gmail and I can bet myself onto that.
The government is talking about deciding content including all radio and TV content before they are even broadcast. Let me tell you Bw Mureithi that it will always not be Kibaki in power. You might be supporting this because its KIbaki in power. But this law might be used against Kibaki. He and Michuki might be looking at the short term effect of it but their are politicians who have done what they are doing without realising that they will and might even be the first victims of such laws.
How will CCK know that a program or coverage is balanced. Do theey need only something balanced to Kibaki or to all? I dont know how CCK will implement that.
My take on the bill is that the E-transactions, Signatures and Contracts are easier said than done. The electronic Kenya gazzette is ok and the government will iomplement that but what is evident is that the good parts of the bill are going to be very haard to implement. very evry hard to implement
But all readers of BidiiAfrika musst be ready for this and must start taking steps in making sure that our right is not denied. Lets make it hard and increase our exposition of this governments ills and evils. We cant be stopped and we are the only remaining opposition and must never allow ourselves to be silenced
The Kenyan media have had a way with arrogance. We have all been victims of this and NMg and Standard group have all been involved in very wide ranging arrogance and denying the youth of this country a chance to succeed. I am not supporting them being raided when Saitoti feels like. Its not in the best interest of my old ffolks and all our parents who have no other avenue of being informed
The good thing about this is that the ACT might just fastrak the democratisation of Kenya. We will fight for our rights with more vegeance and there will be more Nyayo house and such like chambers in the near future and all international spotlight in Kenya will make the government understand this
Robert
On 1/4/09, Mureithi-Matu Advocates wrote:
I think the communications bill is not all about media. There are many other stakeholders who were consulted I know at least during the past four years. I recall bodies such as the Kenya Private Sector Alliance getting engaged and for a long time participants being asked to contribute. i therefore disagree with the writer in the Sunday Nations analysis on page 13 magazine that nobody had complained about e-commerce. Indeed, we did and the bill is the fruit we’ve been waiting for. Let media stakeholders not trash the communications bill just because of one section.
Go for the amendment instead. I entirely agree with the presidents action otherwise this would have remained elusive, just like the constitution amendments we’ve been longing for.
MM