Church leaders in Kenya have added their voice to that of Rights groups, journalists in asking the State to unconditionally restore TV transmission for a number of stations that it shut last Tuesday.
Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit while speaking at the consecration of ACK Christ the King Kahuro Church in Kiharu, Murang’a County urged the Government not to deny citizens their right to information by shutting down the stations.
According to The Standard – Kenya, the Government switched back TV stations; KTN News and NTV after High Court Judge Chacha Mwita suspended the ban for 14 days, however, Citizen TV and Inooro TV are not yet reinstated.
The listed stations were switched off on Tuesday, January 30 for airing the ‘swearing in’ of the National Super Alliance (NASA) leader, Raila Odinga.
“Kenyans are wise enough to know what is good and bad, they are able to differentiate what to believe,” the Anglican leader said, according to Daily Nation.
He added the Government should not compete with the Opposition as the move would continue polarising the country.
He also urged the state to stop arresting opposition leaders as this would continue dividing the country. The bishop said leaders should instead find solutions to the causes of conflicts during elections.
“The Government should avoid arrests and come up with ways of conciliating the country which is divided along the tribal lines,” the Archbishop said.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, Nation Media Group Editor-in-Chief Tom Mshindi termed the government move as “a sad moment for media freedom in Kenya.”
Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR), Amnesty International, the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, Article 19 and Katiba Institute said in a joint statement that the government’s closure of TV stations is “a serious threat to the freedom of the media at a delicate political situation in the country”.
