Katiba Institute faults CA over threats to media houses on Azimio demos coverage

The Katiba Institute has condemned the Communication Authority (CA)’s Wednesday threats to revoke the licences of six television stations over their live coverage of Monday’s anti-government protests.

CA had criticised Citizen TV, NTV, K24, KBC, TV47 and Ebru TV for broadcasting the rallies by Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga live, claiming the broadcasters had violated the code of coverage.

The regulator’s CEO Ezra Chiloba said the live airing of the protests was a form of incitement to the public and may upset the peace in the country.

In a letter to the CA, the NGO which seeks to promote knowledge and understanding of Kenya's constitution, as well as defend and facilitate the implementation of the constitution, termed the CA’s action as a threat to press freedom.

“We see your actions as a threat to freedom of expression, information, and of the media and a repetition of the 2013 TV shutdown by you. Your decision endangers life because it would enable the trigger-happy Kenyan National Police Service to operate in darkness,” Katiba Institute said.

In the institute’s view, the CA’s demands that the media avoid broadcasting scenes “that would be detrimental to peace and cohesion” is instead the real threat to peace and cohesion in the country.

“We think that your decision is a throwback to the era of state-sponsored censorship and a presumption that the Kenyan public is not adult enough for the marketplace of ideas. Thus your prior censorship of live TV broadcasts,” the letter reads.

Katiba Institute demanded that CA revokes the communique, which it termed unconstitutional services the NGO with copies of the letters sent to the six media houses, as well as minutes and recordings of the meeting at which the decision was made.

Chiloba on Wednesday said they had already written to the media houses in question demanding compliance with the regulations, failure to which they would be sanctioned.

"Failure to adhere to the outlined obligations shall be acting in breach of licence conditions, which shall attract liability under relevant provisions of the law, including revocation of broadcast licence and/or broadcast frequencies,” he warned.