The High Court has overturned a censorship order of media houses by then Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) boss Ezra Chiloba.
In March this year, the six TV stations were censored after covering demonstration as called by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Issuing the orders was Justice John Chigiti who noted that the order was illegal as affected parties ought to have been given an opportunity to be heard as stipulated in the constitution.
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In addition to the court, the six TV stations Citizen, NTV, K24, KBC, TV47, and Ebru Africa should have been notified before any action was taken by then CA Director General Ezra Chiloba.
When issuing the orders, Chiloba noted that action by the TV stations to cover the demonstrations could have greatly affected peace and cohesion in the country.
“While the Authority promotes the freedom of the press, it is imperative that all broadcasters exercise caution on live broadcast coverage to avoid scenes that would be detrimental to peace and cohesion,” said Ezra Chiloba
Communications Authority of Kenya has since been advised review the programming code of TV stations in the country with the suspension set to continue for a year.
