1 January 2008
Nairobi — Local media houses have vowed to defy an order barring all live TV and radio broadcasts.
The Media Council of Kenya and the Media Owners Association termed the order "draconian, impractical and an affront to the press freedom in the country."
Council chairman, Mr Wachira Waruru, said the order by Internal Security minister, Mr John Michuki, targeted coverage of the opposition and was unacceptable.
"We, the media owners and the media council, have resolved today that we are not going to allow any attempt by the Government to curtail us. We will not accept any attempt from anywhere whatsoever," said Waruru.
At a joint meeting held on Monday, the representatives of the two groups said the order, which was issued immediately the President was sworn in, would not be obeyed.
"The media industry is shocked by the order of the minister in charge of security. We are not going to comply with an order seeking to control the freedom of the Press," said Waruru.
He said Michuki's order was meant to take the country back to the dark days.
"We want the minister to withdraw the order immediately and allow us to serve the Kenyan people," added Waruru.
"The order is not practical. We have written to the ministers concerned seeking a meeting with them to put the case forward," he said.
Canada critics order
And the Canadian government has criticised Michuki's directive suspending live broadcasts.
The Canadian minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Maxime Bernier, yesterday urged the Government to urgently address the election irregularities in a timely, transparent and thorough manner.
"The suspension of live broadcasts, irregularities in reporting of results and any move to restrict legitimate scrutiny of election results are serious concerns," Bernier said.
Bernier said Kenyans had demonstrated commitment to the democratic process.
He, however, added that violence and irregularities in the post-election process had marred the polls.
He appealed for calm and asked all Kenyans to exercise restraint.
Meanwhile, ODM running mate, Mr Musalia Mudavadi, and other Pentagon members have called on the Government to stop gagging the media.
Mr Mudavadi said it was draconian for the Government to muzzle free press in this age and time.
"How can the Government, which claims to have been elected by the people, do such a thing to deny the same people a chance to know what was happening?" he posed.
And Kitui Central MP-elect, Mrs Charity Ngilu, said it was wrong, primitive and illegal to order media houses to stop live transmission of news.
The former Health minister said the order is aimed at ensuring that the evils being perpetrated are not exposed.
Mr Joseph Nyagah, another ODM Pentagon member, said: "What Michuki has done can only be accepted in a military state, or when there is a state of emergency. Kenya is not at war."
ODM chairman, Mr Henry Kosgey, said infringing against the press was criminal.
At the same time, the National Convention Executive Council (NCEC) also condemned Michuki's order, terming it, unconstitutional, despotic and a subversion of democratic right to expression and access to information.
NCEC programme manager, Mr Ndung'u Wainaina, said: "President Kibaki is posing a serious threat to our nascent democracy by reverting to silencing his outspoken critics through issuing such orders. Neutering democracy this way is darkly serious and we must not let it happen," said Wainaina.
-Reports by Maseme Machuka, Susan Anyangu, Brian Adero, James Ratemo and Antony Gitonga
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