Busia county assembly speaker Hon. Benard Wamalwa has apologized to the Busia journalists following an embarrassing episode at the assembly premises yesterday afternoon where they were harassed and barred by the security personnel from entering the assembly during budget discussion.
The speaker called for a special meeting this morning with the journalists who work with various Media houses, the assembly Clerk Mr. Allan Mabuka and Sergeant-at-arms James Wanyonyi.
The journalists led by Michael Otieno Oongo of The Star Newspaper who is also the vice chairperson of Kenya Correspondents Association expressed their displeasure with the manner in which they were handled casually by security at the assembly.
“Mr Speaker we are much disappointed with the security team and we want them to know that we represent Kenyans out there and that it’s our right to access information deemed important for public consumption,” stated Oongo.
Yesterday the journalists were forced to write their names at the gate by gatekeepers even after producing their Press cards and were also pushed out of the House by Sergeant-at-arms James Wanyonyi who alleged be working under instructions from ‘above’.
During today’s meeting which lasted for one hour, the speaker, clerk and sergeant-at-arm apologized for the incidence and promised that such will never occur again.
“It’s very unfortunate and I was not happy, you as journalists are very important partners and you must be treated with the due respect you deserve,” stated Wamalwa who called on the clerk and sergeant-at-arms to convene a meeting between the journalists, security team and assembly broadcasting committee next week to iron out all differences and ensure that there is peacefully co-existence.
He said that personally he had no problem with journalists attending assembly sessions but added the current House is too congested.
“The press is supposed to be in parliament at their gallery but our current building is very small, I’m even worried about the twenty nominated members who are coming because there is no space for them”
However, he revealed that the house is being expanded and promised that the Media will be build a modern gallery where they will be taking their news from in the assembly without any disturbance.
He also asked Mr. Wanyonyi who is in charge of security to make arrangements so that the journalists are given special gate passes which will allow them in without unnecessary scrutiny.
In what appeared to be a damage control effort, the speaker urged all the parties to be solving arising issues amicably instead of letting them out to the public thus tainting the image of the assembly.
Wamalwa gave them a copy of the budget that was tabled in parliament yesterday and urged them to go through it and write fair comments about it to their respective stations.
This was after the assembly suffered a major ‘Media blackout’ yesterday where the journalists after being frustrated, left the assembly and went to write negative stories about it highlighting their predicaments caused by security personnel.
And responding to the allegations from members of the public that the assembly was trying o hide something fishy within the budget by locking out the media, the speaker said there was nothing of the sort.
“There is nothing we are trying to hide in the budget, take a copy of the budget and go through it so that you write fair stories about it and inform the public. I’m not a permanent civil servant here, tomorrow I may be recalled, die or resign but the office will remain and the people of Busia must be served well.”
