Kenyan president signs controversial media bill

NAIROBI — Kenya's president has signed into law a media bill that opponents say threatens the country's hard-fought reputation for having one of Africa's most vigorous press.

Media watchdogs had petitioned against the bill, which gives a communications commission the power to regulate broadcasting under threat of fines or jail time.

In a statement Friday, President Mwai Kibaki said "while press freedom is a cardinal pillar of democracy, it is a right that carries with it special duties and responsibilities."

A controversial part of the bill, which parliament passed last month, allows the government to shut down media outlets by declaring a state of emergency. Several journalists were arrested recently while protesting the bill.

But Kibaki said late Friday that part was not included in the bill he signed.

Kenya is ranked among the world's most corrupt countries, and in the years following independence in 1963 reporters were regularly threatened and censored.

But over the past decade, Kenya has developed some of Africa's liveliest media. Journalists have exposed some of the country's biggest scandals, such as the Goldenberg affair, when the country lost an estimated $1 billion through bogus gold and gem exports during the 1990s.

There have been setbacks, however. During Kenya's postelection violence in 2008, authorities banned live broadcasts for weeks. And in 2006, police raided The Standard newspaper and broadcaster KTN, damaging equipment and burning newspapers.

Kenya is still recovering from the postelection violence, which ended with a coalition government between Kibaki and Raila Odinga, who was named prime minister under the deal. The men, who both claimed to have won the December 2007 vote, vowed swift reforms.