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| Fights broke out in Kenya's National Assembly, located in Nairobi, over an anti-terrorism law passed last Thursday. Image: Shutterstock |
Fisticuffs broke out in Kenya’s parliament last Thursday as
legislators passed a controversial anti-terrorism measure amid protest.
As chaos erupted, legislators threw books, yelled, and tore
at each other’s clothes. The deputy speaker
was doused with water. All of it was
caught on national television before the broadcast was stopped.
The law includes a $56,000 or three-year jail term—or
both—for journalists whose stories are considered capable of undermining terror
investigations. A similar fine will be
given to media who publish pictures of terror victims without police
permission.
Aside from the regulation of the media, the new law will
also significantly increase the powers of the police and intelligence officers
to “do anything necessary to preserve national security” and to detain terror
suspects for up to 360 days before trial.
The Security Laws Bill affected 21 security laws.
These changes represent a reaction to the increased amount
of recent terrorist activities in the country, including an attack by Al Shabab
militants in Somalia last year wherein a mall was attacked and nearly 70 people
killed, as well as two attacks this month in which 60 non-Muslims were killed.
Opposition
leaders worry that these changes will work to silence voices, not to mention
questioning the legality of the law itself.
“We will move to court to challenge the constitutionality of this law,” Senate
Minority leader Moses Wetangula said.
“It is illegal; we will challenge it.”
Heavy
police presence in the city center commenced as soon as the votes were cast in
parliament. Demonstrators poured into
the streets to protest. Meanwhile, within
the legislature, five senators from the opposition Coalition for Reform and
Democracy were attacked by MPs when they entered the speakers’ gallery in the
National Assembly to speak against the bill.
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