- Azimio senators staged a walkout of a Senate sitting on Wednesday after Speaker Kenneth Lusaka dismissed their request to grill Moses Kuria on his recent attacks on the media.
- The senators had wanted to question Kuria, who is the chairman of the National Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee, about his comments that the Nation Media Group was a “hostile media” and that its journalists were “traitors”.
- Kingi said that he would not allow the senators to grill Kuria because the matter was sub judice. Kuria is facing criminal charges for his attacks on the media.
The walkout by the Azimio senators was a sign of their frustration with Kingi’s handling of the matter. The senators had argued that Kuria’s comments were a serious attack on press freedom and that he should be held accountable.
Kingi’s decision to dismiss the request to grill Kuria has been criticized by journalists and media freedom activists. They have accused Kingi of protecting Kuria and of undermining press freedom.
The walkout by the Azimio senators is a setback for Kingi and for the government. It shows that the government is not serious about protecting press freedom.