Nation Reporter
8 April 2006
Nairobi — Nine employees of the Standard Group yesterday appeared before a parliamentary committee investigating last month's raids at their offices by the police.
The top management of the media group, which includes the Kenya Television Network, appeared before the committee on the Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs, chaired by Kabete MP Paul Muite, to give evidence on the raid.
Among the employees were those that witnessed the raid by police on March 2, sparking a chorus of condemnation countrywide.
Hooded policemen raided the Standard offices at I&M building on Nairobi's Kenyatta Avenue and the printing plant on Likoni road in the city's Industrial Area.
They seized computers, vandalised equipment and burnt newspapers that were rolling off the printing press.
Internal Security minister John Michuki said the raid was in the interest of national security, and said those who "rattle a snake must expect to be bitten by it."
Among those who appeared before the committee yesterday were chief executive officer Tom Mshindi, deputy chairman Paul Melly and editorial director Kwendo Opanga.
Sources informed the Nation that members of the committee expressed surprise that the Government was yet to give an official explanation for the raid.
The Standard employees told the committee that the Government was still holding the equipment seized during the raid, and that they did not know when it would be released.
The media firm has sued the State over the raid.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2006 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
