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By Godfrey Olukya 13-3-2013
Authorities in Kenya have threatened to arrest and prosecute foreign tourists illegally operating in Kenya.
This comes at a time when there are reports that many foreign journalists especially those from western countries flocked into the country to cover the recently concluded presidential elections. Although some of them got accreditation to cover the event, a good number decided not to go back and are now illegally working in the country.
There are also some who simply walked into the country and started working without obtaining licenses. Others are alleged to have illegally made documentary films for sale yet they were only accredited to gather news on elections.
The head of film services in Kenya, Ernest Kerich said that it was illegal for the foreign journalists to get engaged in making documentary films yet the accreditation they got was only for the purposes of news coverage and not for making documentaries.
Kenya’s directorate of Information issued a statement saying that foreign journalists planning to be in the country for a short period of up to three months should be issued with special passes. Those intending to work in the country for a period exceeding three months will have to be issued with a work permit.
A Kenyan local journalist, Chris Embogo said, ‘We appreciate the government’s efforts to get rid of illegal foreign journalists. They simply walk into our country and start working yet we can not do the same in their countries.
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