Government moves to silence Standard Group in licence row

The Standard Group headquarters along Mombasa Road, Nairobi. [File, Standard] There is a blatant attempt by the government to gag the Standard Group by revoking all broadcasting licences that were legally issued to the company. In a letter dated April 9, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), through Director General David Mugonyi, announced the revocation of the licences, citing non-remittance of licence fees and the Universal Service Fund (USF) levy. The Authority also dismissed an existing debt repayment plan of Sh48 million as regulatory fees, an assertion strongly refuted by the company's Chief Executive Editor, Chaacha Mwita. Since its inception in 1902, the Standard Group has been widely recognised for its bold and fearless journalism, committed to impactful reporting even in the face of adversity. But due to harsh economic conditions, the company accrued a debt of Sh48 million to the CA in licence fees. Mwita noted that this figure had been significantly reduced since a payment plan was agreed and signed in December 2024. In a sharp twist of irony, the State itself owes the media house Sh1.2 billion in unpaid advertising fees accumulated by government ministries, agencies, and county governments. Despite the repayment agreement, the CA proceeded to issue a notice revoking all the group's broadcasting licences - an action Mwita described as a deliberate attempt by the State to silence the media house, following its recent reportage exposing the ills in the Kenya kwanza administration led by President William Ruto. According to Mugonyi, the CA had issued six-month revocation notices in September 2024, which expired on March 24, 2025. He claimed the Authority had required the company to either settle the full debt or submit a payment plan before the deadline. Mugonyi further said that the Authority will go ahead and issue a Gazette Notice revoking all the broadcast licences. "This letter serves to inform you that the Authority is progressing to publish a notification on the revocation of all the broadcast licences issued to the Standard Group PLC in the Kenya Gazette," stated the CA boss. Under the repayment agreement, the company committed to a monthly payout plan where Standard Group deposited Sh10 million in December 2024, followed by Sh4 million in January 2025 and another Sh4 million in February, demonstrating its commitment to clearing the debt. "We entered and signed an agreement with the Communication Authority that we will be paying Sh2.5 million a month towards the completion of this debt. ''And we went ahead to increase this amount from Sh2.5 million to Sh4 million a month," said Mwita. "We have been adhering to that payment plan. So, anything outside of that smacks of ill-will and malice and we have no option but to fight it." Standard Group has recently published stories exposing the challenges facing the Kenya Kwanza administration, coverage that has reportedly unsettled those in power. Mwita maintained that the company will not be intimidated or forced to abandon its bold and authoritative reporting. "What we publish and carry is the reality of the day. ''We are not going to back down, we are not going to report things that are not the reality just to make some people happy," Mwita said. "We have audiences and we have the responsibility as a media house to hold the mirror to society and that is what we are doing. We completely stand firm with our audiences and we tell them that KTN is their destination for news and information. And so is The Standard newspaper," he added. Mwita confirmed that the company has moved to the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal, under the CA, seeking an injunction to stop the publication of the Gazette Notice. "We are actively seeking a date in the tribunal. And we hope that they get it latest today (Tuesday). We really hope that all institutions of goodwill be included in the tribunal," said Mwita. This is not the first time the government has attempted to clamp down on Standard Group. Just last month, the then Broadcasting Principal Secretary Edward Kisiang'ani cancelled Standard Group's media contract with the Ministry of Irrigation despite the media house having been competitively selected to run a campaign for the launch of the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan. There has also been an online smear campaign targeting Standard Group, including fake headlines and threats against its journalists, allegedly orchestrated by bloggers sponsored to undermine the company's credibility on social media.

Government moves to silence Standard Group in licence row

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