NAIROBI, Kenya June 26 \u2013 The High Court in Nairobi has suspended a directive by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) ordering media houses to cease live coverage of ongoing protests, in a landmark ruling that came amid widespread demonstrations and rising casualties across the country.<\/p>\n
Justice Chacha Mwita issued the conservatory order on Wednesday, June 25, directing the immediate restoration of any broadcasting signals that may have been switched off due to the directive. He ruled that the petition\u2014filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK)\u2014raised serious constitutional issues regarding press freedom and the right to information.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe matter calls for immediate action,\u201d said Justice Mwita. \u201cA conservatory order is hereby issued suspending, with immediate effect, the directive by the Communication Authority of Kenya to all television and radio stations directing them to stop live coverage of the demonstrations of 25th June 2025 or any other demonstrations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge also warned that any disobedience of the court\u2019s directive would result in penal consequences. Parties named in the suit\u2014including the CA\u2014have three days to respond, with further directions set for July 2.<\/p>\n
The CA\u2019s controversial directive, issued earlier in the day by Director General David Mugonyi, warned broadcasters against airing live footage of the Gen Z-led protests, claiming it could incite violence and violate the Kenya Information and Communications Act.<\/p>\n
Citing Articles 33(2) and 34(1) of the Constitution, Mugonyi claimed live coverage risked \u201ccontravention of constitutional and regulatory provisions,\u201d and threatened media houses with regulatory action, including revocation of licences and suspension of transmission.<\/p>\n
Shortly after the letter was circulated, major broadcasters including NTV, Citizen TV, and K24 reported that their free-to-air signals had been abruptly shut down after CA officials allegedly accessed transmission infrastructure in Limuru.<\/p>\n
The move was widely condemned by legal experts and media stakeholders. Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga labelled the directive \u201cunconstitutional and retrogressive,\u201d while the Kenya Editors\u2019 Guild called it an egregious distortion of the law meant to suppress public access to real-time information.<\/p>\n
The ruling came as Gen Z-led protests swept across major cities and towns in Kenya to mark one year since the deadly June 25, 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests that left more than 60 people dead. Demonstrators took to the streets in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisii, Nyeri, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Naivasha, demanding justice for last year\u2019s victims, economic reforms, and an end to police brutality.<\/p>\n
By nightfall on Wednesday, at least 12 people had been confirmed dead, with more than 300 others injured<\/strong>, many from gunshot wounds. Fatalities were reported in Ngara, Embakasi, Molo, Matuu, Kikuyu, Juja, Ol Kalou, and Ongata Rongai. Among the dead was a Form Three student in Molo, shot while attempting to flee police gunfire, and a Kenya Power security guard, Fred Wamale Wanyonyi, who was fatally shot outside Stima Plaza in Nairobi.<\/p>\n Kenyatta National Hospital reported receiving more than 10 casualties by afternoon, with medical officials warning that the toll could rise. Protesters blocked roads, lit bonfires, and clashed with anti-riot police, particularly in Nairobi\u2019s CBD, where they attempted to march on Parliament and State House\u2014both heavily barricaded with razor wire and guarded by armed officers.<\/p>\n Chants of \u201cRuto Must Go!\u201d and \u201cWe Want Justice!\u201d rang through the streets, echoing the sentiments of youth demanding sweeping reforms.<\/p>\n President William Ruto, in a brief address, urged demonstrators to remain peaceful and avoid destruction of property or attacks on law enforcement. However, human rights organisations say police used excessive force in several towns in violation of local and international laws.<\/p>\n The High Court\u2019s intervention is likely to be seen as a victory for press freedom, even as tensions remain high and the public demands accountability for the growing number of protest deaths.<\/p>\n The protests appear far from over, with demonstrators vowing to continue their push for reforms, justice, and the protection of democratic space in the country.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NAIROBI, Kenya June 26 \u2013 The High Court in Nairobi has suspended a directive by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) ordering media houses to cease live coverage of ongoing protests, in a landmark ruling that came amid widespread demonstrations and rising casualties across the country. Justice Chacha Mwita issued the conservatory order on Wednesday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Government Response and Public Concern<\/h3>\n