State crackdown on media bodes ill for our democracy

Yesterday goes down in history as the day the Government literally shut down the country. The day began on a high note. Both anticipation and trepidation gripped Kenyans. It was the day the opposition National Super Alliance (NASA), which has said it does not recognise Uhuru Kenyatta’s legitimacy as the president of Kenya, had chosen to swear in Raila Odinga as the 'people's president'.

The implications of the action was clear; to undermine the authority of President Kenyatta, an act that prompted Attorney General Githu Muigai to warn that Raila risked being charged with high treason. Predictably, the Opposition ignored the warning, urging the AG to examine the Constitution to see that its actions were legal. Therefore, it was not surprising that the conflict attracted the attention of Kenyans, who were no doubt yesterday glued to their television sets to see what would happen. Many were surprised when TV stations suddenly went off as they monitored the events at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, the venue of the swearing-in.