The Canadian Government has made two requests to President Uhuru Kenyatta's government in respect to the crackdown of Opposition leaders and the recent media shutdown.
Through a statement on its website, Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian government expressed concern over the state of human rights in Kenya stating that an independent media was essential in a democracy.
"As a friend to Kenya, Canada is deeply concerned by some of the Government of Kenya’s recent actions, including the unlawful detention of opposition members without due process or access to counsel, and the shutdown of, and restrictions on, certain media outlets.
[caption caption="Canadian PM Justin Trudeau"]
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“We urge the Government of Kenya to uphold its Constitution, to (1) allow freedom of expression and (2) respect court orders, including those that order the release of those granted bail," the statement read.
This comes after self-declared National Resistance Movement (NRM) General Miguna Miguna was deported on Tuesday night.
[caption caption="Miguna arriving in Canada"]
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Miguna arrived in Canada on Thursday morning where he was received as a hero at the Toronto International Airport.
Earlier 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 Journalists Ken Mijungu, Larry Madowo and NMG Managing Editor Linus Kaikai"]
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