Kenyan News Agencies Back On

Kenyan broadcasters back on air after government block

15 hours ago

Protesters took to the streets of Nairobi to condemn the media shutdown [Khalil Senosi/AP]

Two Kenyan television stations have resumed broadcasting after being taken off air for plans to show a rally held by the country's opposition leader.

The NTV and KTN channels were both accessible on Monday, but two others - Citizen TV and Inooro TV - remained blocked, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reported on Monday.

Earlier in the day, protesters took to the streets in Kenya's capital Nairobi to condemn the media shutdown, it said.

The government suspended all four stations on January 30 after they announced plans to air the symbolic "swearing in" of opposition leader Raila Odinga, which took place later the same day.


"TV stations re-opened after seven days closure; NTV, KTN News back on air after court order issued last week. Citizen TV’s signal is yet to be restored #NTVTonight @apochiengpic.twitter.com/SXTg5GUAkD— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) February 5, 2018"

Broadcasting the mock ceremony - at which Odinga declared himself the "people's president" - would threaten national security, the government said.

It also described the event as a "well-choreographed attempt to subvert or overthrow" incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The move prompted international condemnation, with the UN later criticising Kenyan officials for failing to comply with a ruling by the country's High Court to lift the block on the channels.

On February 1, the court ordered a 14-day suspension of the government's shutdown to allow for a legal challenge to be heard.

Journalists and human rights groups have condemned the shutdown as an attack on freedom of the press.

"The government allowed the event to take place," Linus Kaikai, managing editor of Kenya's Nation Media Group, told Al Jazeera last week.

"I didn't understand the minister's rationale on why they allowed the event, but cannot allow coverage."

Odinga's event took place three months after he boycotted a presidential election rerun, claiming the government planned to rig the vote.

Kenyatta won a second five-year term in office during the rerun, and he was sworn in as the country's leader in a ceremony last November.

An earlier ballot for the presidency, in August of last year, was annulled by Kenya's Supreme Court on account of "irregularities and illegalities" by the electoral commission.

Al Jazeera. “Kenyan Broadcasters Back on Air after Government Block.” News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 5 Feb. 2018, www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/kenyan-broadcasters-air-government-block-180205184508545.html.

__________________-RESPONSE-

Bias: I think that the author of this article definitely has a bias against the government ordering for the closure of the news stations. This article is definitely intended just for a brief update on what is happening, I think mainly because there is not a lot of background information and to truly know what is happening there has to be more research.

Audience: I think that the intended audience of this article is people interested in Kenyan politics, Kenyans, East African Nations, and others. I think that its mainly for people around the voting age, because they would be more invested or interested in what is happening.

Opinion: I think that the government should have no right to declare the news stations closed just because they don't want them to air the supposed "swearing-in" of Raila Odinga. I think that that is definitely blatant censorship and the fact that they did it even with the opposition of everyone. I agree with the author when he/she wrote "I didn't understand the minister's rationale on why they allowed the event, but cannot allow coverage." I think that coverage of something that was that controversial is important to make sure that what was actually happening happened and also I believe that the citizens deserve to see what exactly is happening in the their country. In addition, I think that the media shouldn't just be used to just portray the government how the government want to be portrayed, but they should have the freedom of all speech and media as long as it doesn't go as far as to commit treason.