Kenya TV shutdown: Court suspends ban imposed over Odinga ‘inauguration’

Kenya’s High Court has suspended the government’s shutdown of three of the country’s largest private TV channels.

KTN, NTV, and Citizen TV were taken off the air over plans to broadcast opposition leader Raila Odinga’s unofficial “inauguration” on Tuesday.

The court has suspended the ban for 14 days while the case is heard.

Currently the stations remain off-air and there is no sign the government will comply with the ruling, reports the BBC’s Gladys Kijo in Nairobi.

Mr Odinga lost last year’s election and his swearing-in was widely seen as a publicity stunt, but the authorities said it was an act of treason.

Opposition groups have accused the Kenyan government of violating the public’s right to information about important events.

When asked about the matter, Joseph Mucheru, the minister of information, communication and technology, told the BBC it was a security issue and that only the security minister could answer the question of when the stations would be able to broadcast again.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42905290