TVs shutdown casts doubt on regulator’s independence

Anti-riot police 'arrest television sets' which were left by human rights activists after they demonstrated on February 27, 2015 outside the Communication Authority of Kenya. [Mbugua Kibera, Standard]

The Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi’s illegal move to force the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to shut down three national broadcasting stations has shattered the remaining illusion of independence on the part of the country’s ICT regulator.

CS Matiangi’s move, in direct contravention of a court order, has been criticised widely across the board. This is even as media owners and stakeholders review the dire warnings sounded during the acrimonious digital migration process come to pass.