UN, US Slam Kenya After TV Stations Shutdown

Thursday’s court order appeared to offer a reprieve for the nation’s media outlets, particularly those who had been shut down.

Mahamat also expressed the pan African bloc’s readiness to assist “in any way deemed appropriate in defusing the current tension on the basis of the fundamental principle of the respect of constitutional order and the rule of law”.

The court ordered a re-run. “I think Kenya is moving away from a legal basis of government, which we fought for”.

“The brief meeting attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi, ICT Secretary Joe Mucheru and AG Githu Muigai did not bode well for the freedom of expression and press in the country”, Kaikai said in a statement. Odinga boycotted the repeat poll in October, saying the process was rigged, and Kenyatta won with 98 percent of the vote.

The first election, held in September 2017, was annulled by the court following alleged irregularities.

The event was largely peaceful, and the throngs of supporters quickly left the park after proceedings had concluded.

The government has responded by declaring the opposition movement a criminal organization and investigating “conspirators” in Tuesday’s ceremony.

During the protests in Nairobi, a 14-year old boy was shot by police as they engaged the opposition supporters.

Shortly afterward, the lawyer for the man in judicial dress who stood by Odinga during the ceremony said he had been arrested.

Shortly after being take to the police station, locals started streaming in, some out of curiosity while others demanded to be allowed “to teach Miguna a lesson for disrespecting our President”.

When asked about the matter, Joseph Mucheru, the minister of information, communication and technology, told the BBC it was a security issue and that only the security minister could answer the question of when the stations would be able to broadcast again.

New York, February 2, 2018-The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Kenyan government to obey a court order suspending a broadcasting ban on four privately owned television stations. The order was refused, and when Mr. Omtatah tried to deliver it himself, he was refused entry.

“Some are still hiding in the compound hoping that I make a move so that they can shoot me and claim that there was a shootout!”

“It is a very sad moment for media freedom in this country”, said Tom Mshindi, editor of the Nation Media Group, one of the country’s biggest media conglomerates.