The Communications Authority of Kenya has ordered all television and radio stations to stop the live coverage of the ongoing protests, roiling media houses which see this as a move to curtail hard-fought freedom. In a statement to newsrooms, Communications Authority Director-General David Mugonyi, a former Nation Media Group journalist, warned of unspecified action against broadcasters who defy the directive.
“This is therefore to direct all television and radio stations to stop any live coverage of the demonstrations forthwith,” the statement reads in part. “Failure to abide by this directive will result in regulatory action as stipulated in the Kenya Information and Communication Act, 1998.”
Media houses and journalists have responded with fury, accusing President Ruto’s government of limiting freedom of express and of the press. Journalists online have criticised the move.
The Standard Group swiftly opposed the development, saying it will seek legal redress to establish the legality of the order. “A letter from the Communication Authority of Kenya has issued a directive to all television and radio stations to immediately stop all live broadcasts of demonstrations, failure to which it will take regulatory action,” the Standard said in a statement. “We are aware that that the Communication Authority has also ordered signal carriers to offline and deplatform any media house doing live broadcast of the demos.”
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It continued: “As we continue broadcasting in the public interest, our position is that the order is illegal and directly contravenes Sections 33 and 34 of the Constitution – the supreme law of the land. In addition, KICA 1998 does not give the CA the mandate or authority to act as threatened. Consequently, we will sue any signal carrier who switches our channels off air without any explanation that can stand the scrutiny of the law, justice, fairness and reason. We expect contractual obligations to be observed in full; any breach thereof would undoubtedly trigger pursuit of legal redress, including compensation for losses.”
The media house asked CA to withdraw the threat and encourage it to conduct its regulatory role in accordance with the law of the land and that of natural justice. Kenya Editors Guild President Zubeida Kananu criticised the directive and further accused the Authority of usurping powers of the Media Council of Kenya, which is mandated to handle complaints against the media.
“What I read in this is interference,” she said. They are trying to control the media. They have done this, not once or twice, before. Why can’t they let the media exercise their duty and mandate to inform Kenyans on what is going on?”
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