Further to an earlier announcement by Alice Munyua on the anticipated discussion of the Media Council Bill 2010, I would like to introduce the structure of the debate which will commence on Monday January 24 and end on February 4, 2011.

The purpose of the Media Council Bill:

·         to provide for the realization of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of media;

·          for the establishment of the Media Council of Kenya;

·         for the conduct and discipline of journalists and the media, and for connected purposes.

The bill is divided into five parts:

Part 1: Preliminary: provides for the title and interpretation/definition of the terminology.

Part 2: The Media Council of Kenya: provides for the establishment of the MCK, where it will be headquartered (in this case Nairobi), its functions and operations, the composition of the Council, qualifications of the Chairperson and the members, procedures for their appointment, tenure of office etc.

Part 3: Financial Provisions: deals with the sources of finances for the Council.

Part 4:  Complaints and dispute resolution: provides for how panels to deal with mediation, conciliation and arbitration will be established, the procedure of dealing with the complaints and the powers of the complaints commission.

Part 5: Miscellaneous: deals with information provided by media, accreditation of journalists, offences and penalties, and rules.

First Schedule: Provides for the Conduct of Business and Affairs of the Council such  as meetings of the Council, quorum, special meetings etc.

Second Schedule: is the Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalists.

The MCK Bill can be accessed  on the Ministry’s website: http://www.information.go.ke/

The ten day discussion will focus on critical issues, and emerging key issues summarized each day.

The process is as follows: