The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has petitioned President Moi to veto the Bill that seeks to impose harsh conditions for media operators.

In a statement, the federation condemned the Statutory Law (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill 2002 that proposes an increase in the bond paid by publishers from Sh10,000 to Sh1 million and wants vendors made liable for selling publications which have not posted the bond.

"This is repressive regulation damaging to Press freedom," said Mr Aidan White, IFJ secretary-general.

The Bill, passed by Parliament on Wednesday night, stipulates that vendors who sell newspapers that are not bonded face a fine of Sh20,000 and or a six-month jail term.

The Bill sets a jail term of three to five years, a Sh1 million fine for first offenders and disqualification from owning or publishing a newspaper or magazine for repeat offenders. 

Mr Martin Ocholi, the Eastern Africa Journalist Association co-ordinator, said that "the change, if passed into law, will deal a devastating blow to the growth of the media and freedom of the Press in general".

"The Association sees this move as a deliberate and mischievous attempt by the ruling party and government to deny millions of Kenyans their rights to freedom of speech. Neither business nor professional significance can be served by this move," Mr Ocholi added.

The IFJ criticised the hefty libel awards charged the media in the past two years, saying it was a "systematic attack of the citizens' freedom of expression which portrayed a grim picture of the country, particularly in the light of the upcoming General Election." The international organisation Human Rights Watch urged the government to drop the Bill. 

Mr Peter Takirambudde, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Africa division, said: "The new Bill appears to be designed to mute public criticism in the run-up to national elections to be held by the end of this year." 

Mr Takirambudde said the Kenyan law already constricted publishers by requiring them to register with the government, pay a libel insurance bond, and submit copies of every publication to a government registrar.

In effect, these fees could curb the right to freedom of expression, said Mr Takirambudde.

Journalists and media owners, who insist they can clean up the industry on their own, have drafted a code of ethics and are forming a regulatory council.

The latest media bill follows a series of defamation and libel cases against newspapers and bookstores, in which top government officials, including President Moi, have won record damages.