The Kenya Editors' Guild president Churchill Otieno has alleged that the government is planning to shut down the mainstream media and the internet on Monday, April 3, 2023, during anti-government protests.
In a statement, Otieno cited previous incidences where journalists covering the demos were either injured by the police, profiled, threatened or even arrested.
"We have received reports of plans to shut down the broadcast media and internet ahead of tomorrow's (Monday) demonstrations; taking this route will sink us all as a country," Otieno said.
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The same was reiterated by Kanya Union of Journalists secretary general Eric Oduor.
"We have information that the government intends to shut down some television and radio stations, as well as internet connection so that Kenyans cannot know what happens during tomorrow’s demos," Oduor said.
The anti-government protests, entering the third week on Monday, are aimed at pushing the government to lower the prices of basic commodities.
The Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition is also demanding an audit of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers holding the 2022 Presidential election results.
Attacks on media personnel
According to the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), a total of 25 journalists have so far been attacked by both police and protestors ever since the anti-government demos kicked off on March 20, 2023.
“March 2023 remains the darkest month for Kenyan media since the clamour for multiparty democracy. We have so far documented 25 cases of attacks on local and foreign journalists at the hands of State and non-State actors since the onset of the demonstrations,” MCK in a statement on Friday, March 31, 2023.
"On Monday, 27th March 2023, the first day of the demonstrations this week, the Council documented 20 cases of attacks, harassment and arrests. Today the number has risen to 25, with some of those affected suffering serious bodily injuries."
According to MCK, the most targeted are camerapersons and photographers with the primary interest of destroying any evidence captured on camera.
