NTV journalist Larry Madowo has hit out at the government stating that Kenya is slowly slipping into dictatorship.
Madowo wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post titled; Kenya is sliding into a dictatorship, where he highlighted the recent occurrences in the country, terming them 'alien'.
He condemned President Uhuru Kenyatta's 'overreaction' after NASA leader Raila Odinga's 'swearing-in' and the media shut down.
"The overreaction from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s embattled administration was swift and relentless, starting with a week-long illegal shutdown of four television stations, including the three largest independent TV stations, NTV, KTN News and Citizen TV, which collectively control 70 percent of total viewership.
[caption caption="NTV Journalists Ken Mijungu, Larry Madowo and NMG Managing Editor Linus Kaikai"]
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"Two were partially reopened seven days later, but market leader Citizen TV remains inexplicably closed, in direct contravention of several laws and court orders," wrote Madowo.
Madowo also highlighted the arrests of lawmaker TJ Kajwang' and Nairobi lawyer Miguna Miguna, who was deported to Canada, highlighting the fact that a Kenyan citizen does not lose citizenship by acquiring the citizenship of another country.
"In the space of just one week, a Kenyan government that proclaims itself a rule-of-law government has repeatedly defied nearly a dozen court orders in an alarming descent toward authoritarianism.
"The shameless disregard for the court process, switching off private media outlets, and intimidation of opposition politicians and journalists all build on the intolerance for criticism that characterized Kenyatta’s first term.
"The current President Kenyatta, whose first name, Uhuru, ironically means ‘freedom’ in Swahili, has borrowed from the Moi playbook of repression and perfected it to devastating effect," reiterated Madowo.
He further called for the freedom of the press and less infringement on the rights of citizens before the country becomes a banana republic.
[caption caption="Miguna Miguna and NASA Leader Raila Odinga"]
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