Kenyan government ignores court order over broadcasting ban
New York, February 2, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Kenyan government to obey a court order suspending a broadcasting ban on four privately owned television stations. A high court yesterday ordered the government to lift the ban on Citizen TV, Inooro TV, NTV, and KTN News, for 14 days while a…
Kenya cuts TV transmissions over live coverage of opposition’s Odinga
Nairobi, January 30, 2018–Authorities in Kenya should immediately allow four privately owned television stations to resume broadcasting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Officials from the broadcast regulator the Communications Authority, accompanied by police, switched off transmitters today while the stations were broadcasting live coverage of an opposition party event in the capital, Nairobi,…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Kenya’s 2017 election ruling
Journalists covering the result of Kenya’s contested elections should be aware of the risk of unrest and violent protests. The Supreme Court on November 20 upheld incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory over opposition candidate Raila Odinga in last month’s repeat election, according to The New York Times. Odinga said he will not accept the result of…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Kenya’s 2017 repeat election and unrest
The risk of unrest and violent protests in Kenya has increased after the country’s electoral commission announced that repeat elections will be held on October 26. The order came after Kenya’s Supreme Court annulled the result of an election in August that kept President Uhuru Kenyatta in power.
Kenyan journalists harassed, detained reporting on election violence
Nairobi, August 17, 2017–Authorities in Kenya should credibly investigate incidents of harassment against journalists covering the aftermath of August 8’s disputed elections and should reform Kenya’s Firearms Act to lower the barriers on journalists’ ability to wear protective gear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Amid tensions ahead of Kenyan vote, journalists face violence and threats
When a fight broke out during a political rally for Kenya’s Orange Democratic Movement in Kakamega county on May 4, Shaban Makokha was taking pictures for his newspaper, the Daily Nation. Makokha told CPJ that when police arrived to break up the fight, they demanded that he stop taking pictures, even after he identified himself…
Kenya seeks to restrict political commentary on social media ahead of elections
Nairobi, July 5, 2017– Kenyan authorities should ensure that proposed social media guidelines do not prevent journalists from reporting critically or close the space for public debate ahead of general elections due to take place August 8, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Kenyan reporter detained for two days on bribery allegation
Police in Nairobi on June 18 arrested Sunday Nation journalist Walter Menya on charges of soliciting a bribe of 55,000 Kenyan shillings (U.S.$531) to “write a damaging story in The Nation newspaper,” according to a police statement. The amount he was alleged to have accepted was later changed to 50,000 Kenyan shillings (U.S.$482), according to…
Kenyan journalist threatened and assaulted
New York, June 8, 2017–Kenyan authorities should credibly investigate and swiftly bring to justice those responsible for attacking and threatening Emmanuel Namisi, a broadcast journalist for the Royal Media group, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Fiscal Blackmail
The Kenyan government withdraws advertising when newspapers step out of line By Alan Rusbridger In some parts of the world, it is still possible to silence a journalist with a sharp blow to the side of the head. But as newspapers the world over struggle with the financial disruption of digital technologies, governments are finding…