Senate committee invites ICT CS Mucheru to explain TV shutdown
ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Senator Gideon Moi said the Cabinet Secretary will be meeting his team sometime next week.
He said the TV stations should be allowed to resume normal broadcasting as investigations continue.
Mr Moi described the shutdown as an infringement of the constitutional freedoms and independence of the media.
A Senate committee has asked Information Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru to explain the refusal by the State to reinstate two Royal Media Services television stations on air despite a court order.
Information, Communication and Technology Committee chairman Gideon Moi said the Cabinet Secretary will be meeting his team sometime next week.
He said the team was glad that NTV and KTN News are back on air and have resumed normal programming but noted with concern the refusal to allow Citizen TV and Inooro TV back on air.
“This is a worrying concern since there is an existing court order instructing the Communications Authority to allow the closed media stations to resume normal programming as the matter is still in court,” said Mr Moi in a statement.
He said the TV stations should be allowed to resume normal broadcasting as investigations continue.
CITIZEN TV BACK ON AIR
But as the Senate committee sought an explanation from Mr Mucheru, Citizen TV and Inooro TV signals were restored Thursday afternoon, ten days after the January 30 shutdown.
Mr Moi described the shutdown as an infringement of the constitutional freedoms and independence of the media and the provision that the State shall not interfere or control the press.
He said media have the right to practice their trade without the government penalising them for any opinion or view or the content of any broadcast, publication or dissemination.
NO COMMENT
Mr Mucheru has not commented on the shutdown, leaving it instead to his Interior counterpart, Dr Fred Matiang’i.
Last week, seven members of the National Assembly’s ICT committee petitioned Clerk Michael Sialai to convene a meeting of their team to discuss the matter.
The MPs wanted Mr Mucheru, Dr Matiang’i and the Communications Authority of Kenya Director-General Francis Wangusi summoned to explain the government’s decision to switch off the four television stations.
The National Assembly team is headed by William Kisang (Marakwet West).
