Citizen protests as CCK vows to shut down 11 other stations

CCK Director General Francis Wangusi. He said they confiscated transmitters in Nanyuki, Narok, Migori, Nakuru, Mwingi and other areas he revealed the media house was operating using self-assigned frequencies

The communications regulator on Saturday shut down six broadcast transmitters belonging to Royal Media Services.

The move affected the broadcasting of six radio stations and Citizen TV services in some locations in the country.

The Director-General of Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), Mr Francis Wangusi, said they confiscated transmitters in Nanyuki, Narok, Migori, Nakuru, Mwingi and other areas he revealed the media house was operating using self-assigned frequencies.

He said the six transmitters were part of 17 put up by RMS in the recent past without a licence from CCK, which regulates the country’s spectrum resource, arguing that the broadcaster had acted in contravention of the law.

The transmitters are located in Karue hill, Vuria hill, Muranga-Gatare, Enchoro hill, Mukuyuni and Mambrui in Malindi.

“The broadcast transmitters were being operated using unauthorised frequencies and without the required licences in blatant breach of the law,” Mr Wangusi said at a press briefing held at a Nairobi hotel.

“The 17 transmitters in question are being operated using self-assigned or grabbed frequencies and some of them are located in non-designated broadcasting sites,” he said, adding that CCK would shut down the other 11 illegal stations to ensure that all players in the broadcasting sector operate within the law.

A further 22 FM and two TV unauthorised frequencies that RMS acquired in the same manner between 2008 and 2012 are pending adjudication in the courts.

RMS chief executive officer Wachira Waruru told the Sunday Nation that they were “surprised” by CCK’s action. According to him, matters relating to the transmitters are still pending in court.

“We will take up this matter using legal channels. However, I would not like to get into the details of the matter,” Mr Waruru said when asked about the December 3 notice CCK issued to RMS regarding the 17 transmitters.

He added that the shutdown had “minimal effect” on the delivery of their services and that they were carrying on “as usual”.

The Jubilee alliance has criticised the shutting down of six transmitters saying the move would interfere with free flow of information.

Coalition running mate William Ruto said the move was ill-timed.

“We want to tell CCK that this is not the time to close down any station. We are in an election year and people want to access as much information as possible so as make an informed decision. They want to make their decision from an informed point,” he said at Kiritiri market in Mbeere South constituency during the second day of campaigns in Embu County.

Mr Wangusi said the illegal transmitters were causing interferences to broadcasters in Kenya and the region and that they posed a threat to Kenya’s airspace.

“The safety of our airspace was under threat as these illegal transmitters had on a number of occasions caused interferences to communication between pilots and the control tower at our main airports,” he said.

According to the CCK, transmission of RMS’s Citizen TV was affected in some areas while the radio stations which may have had disruption of services include Muuga FM, Radio Citizen, Maa FM, Inooro FM and Musyi FM.

The notice directed RMS to cease operating the unauthorised frequencies “or face the full force of the law”.

CCK denied allegations that the timing had any political undertones but that it opted to deal with the issue before the next government comes into power.

A month ago, Parliament adopted a report of two House committees which accused CCK and Information permanent secretary Dr Bitange Ndemo of delaying to take action after obtaining court warrants against RMS.

This was after the National Security Advisory Council raised concerns that some local radio stations’ frequencies routinely interfere with avionic communications frequencies used by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to keep the country’s airspace safe.