ICT CS Mucheru Summoned Over TV Shutdown

Following the shut down of NTV, Citizen and KTN last week, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has been summoned by the Senate Information Committee.

Mucheru is set to appear before the committee next Tuesday where he will answer questions on the shut down of TV stations during NASA leader Raila Odinga's 'swearing-in'.

NTV and KTN were switched back on earlier this week but Citizen and Inooro TV have remained off air until today (Thursday).

[caption caption="Interior CS Fred Matiang'i and CS Joe Mucheru"][/caption]

Royal Media Services protested the move, saying it has been losing up to Sh25 million daily in advertisement revenue.

On Wednesday last week, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i accused the media houses that had been clamped of being complicit in a well thought out scheme to overthrow President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration.

“What was witnessed at Uhuru Park was a well-choreographed attempt to subvert or overthrow the legally constituted Government of the Republic of Kenya,” he stated in a statement read to the press at his Harambee House office.

On Wednesday, NTV journalist Larry Madowo 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 Kenyatta's 'overreaction' after 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," stated Madowo.

[caption caption="NTV Journalist Larry Madowo"][/caption]

  • .