An international human rights group has joined the outcry from journalists and media owners in Kenya over a pending law that restricts press freedom in Kenya. 

New York-based Human Rights Watch says the legislation is designed to muzzle the press in advance of presidential elections later this year, adding that freedom of expression in Kenya has never been more important. 

The Kenyan Union of Journalists, media owners and lawyers are also criticizing the pending law, saying it aims to discourage Kenya's press in general and small publishers in particular. 

The bill is a series of amendments to already existing media law. The amendments - which passed the parliament Wednesday night - require all newspaper publishers to submit two copies of each issue of their publications to the government for review. 

It also substantially raises the fees publishers must pay a government registrar office before distributing their newspapers or magazines. 

Publishers who fail to comply face a fine of about $13,000 and may be jailed for up to three years - or both. 

The law will force publishers to pay a one-time bond to the government of about $13,000, up from $130. And the bill punishes vendors for selling publications that have not complied with the new restrictions. 

The bill only needs the signature of President Daniel Arap Moi to become law. Kenya is scheduled to hold presidential elections later this year. President Moi is constitutionally-bound to step down after more than two-decades in power. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters. 

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