Nairobi, June 25, 2025 — The Communications Authority of Kenya’s (CA) directive banning live media coverage of nationwide anti-government protests has drawn fierce criticism from both legal and media watchdogs on Wednesday.
Despite the ban, media houses continued to stream the protests happening around various towns in Kenya, forcing the government to act on their threat.
NTV under the Nation Media Group was among the first casualties with the CA switching of their signal. CA raided NTV’s Limuru transmission station and forcefully switched off the Aga Khan-owned station’s free-to-air signal.
Viewers have now been forced to follow NTV’s coverage of the protests on Youtube.
And now prominent constitutional lawyer Paul Muite publicly condemned the CA’s directive, warning it violates fundamental rights to information and media freedom as enshrined in Article 34 of the Kenyan Constitution.
Speaking on X, Muite challenged CA’s legal rationale—citing Articles 33(2), 34(1), and Section 461 of the Kenya Information and Communications Act—arguing that “media live coverage of ongoing peaceful demonstrations… is not incitement to violence.”
He referenced a 2023 High Court ruling by Prof. Justice Chigiti (Application E041/23), which found previous CA efforts to suppress live broadcast coverage of opposition demonstrations unconstitutional.
Muite stressed that such bans must not stand, especially when public interest and transparency are at stake.
Media Outcry
The Kenya Editors’ Guild (KEG) also issued a strong rebuke, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the CA’s sweeping directive.
KEG’s statement described the ban as a blatant infringement on media freedom.
They demanded that Kenyans be allowed real-time access to developments during the Gen Z-led protests, which commemorate the 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
KEG Secretary-General emphasized the necessity of live reporting, especially when peaceful protests are unfolding, and decried the move as an attempt to stifle accountability and suppress civic discourse.
CA’s Position
The CA, led by Director-General David Mugonyi, issued a memo on June 25 instructing all television and radio broadcasters to immediately halt live coverage of protest-related activities.
Citing constitutional provisions dealing with freedom of expression, the letter warned that non-compliance would result in regulatory consequences.
The directive, coming amid protests in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu and Nakuru, has sparked alarm among civil society groups who view it as a draconian measure that undermines democracy.
Investigative outlet Africa Uncensored also condemned the order, highlighting its potential chilling effects on both journalism and civic participation.
For many Kenyans, the ban is the latest in a series of contentious CA measures—such as the 2023 shutdown of live protest coverage and recent fines imposed on broadcasters over gambling adverts—which cumulatively suggest a worrying trend toward information control.
In related news, Katiba Institute has moved to the court to challenge the illegal cordoning and barricading of various sections of Nairobi. This is after a razor wire was put up cordoning Parliament building.
Their request is for the courts to urgently compel the IG of police to remove the cordons.
The government is assumed to have been installed to prevent the risk of burning of the Parliament buildings like it happened during the 2024 June protests.
