Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i has all but confirmed top officials led by President Uhuru Kenyatta held a meeting at State House, Nairobi with media owners and managers to brief them on the security situation in the country ahead of Tuesday’s “swearing in” of NASA leader Raila Odinga as the “People’s President.”
While issuing a statement on alleged subversive activities by NASA, Matiang’i said media owners and all relevant actors had been given a full security situation brief well ahead of NASA’s “illegal activities.”
He said some media houses chose to disregard this advice, their own code of ethics, self-regulation, and the moral responsibility of every Kenyan to safeguard the security of their fellow citizens.
The State House meeting, whose details were first reported by BT, was also attended by Deputy President William Ruto, Matiang’i, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru and Attorney General Githu Muigai.
It is at this meeting that media houses were warned that they risk having their operating licences revoked if they provide live coverage of the Uhuru Park event.
The CS alleges what was witnessed at Uhuru Park grounds was “a well-choreographed attempt to subvert or overthrow the legally constituted Government of the Republic of Kenya.”
He adds the Government was and is aware of the role of some elements in the media fraternity who participated in furtherance of the “illegal act.”
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“Their complicity would have led to thousands of deaths of innocent Kenyans due to buildup of the incitement that was witnessed in the early hours of the morning of 30th January 2018,” he added.
He said it is for this reason that the Government took the decision to shut down the concerned media houses, until further notice, as it launches a full investigation into the serious breach of security.
Here is Matiang’i full statement, which he issued at Harambee House, Nairobi, Wednesday afternoon:
