Bring Back Our TVs, Activists Tell Broadcast Regulator

Led by Operation Ondoa Panya National Coordinator John Wamagata, the protesters accused CAK of denying Kenyans their right to information by switching off their four favorite television stations.

The protesters have also raised concerns over mistreatment of Royal Media Services, Standard Group Limited and Nation Media Group by not being allowed time to set up the digital broadcasting infrastructure.

Carrying TV sets to the CAK offices, Wamagata and other protesters termed the current information blackout as a threat to democracy as most Kenyans do not own or cannot afford to purchase set top boxes to watch their favorite stations.

They now want President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and end the current digital migration standoff to allow Kenyans access to information.

The African Digital Network (ADN) on Thursday asked the government to allow it more time to set up infrastructure in readiness for the digital broadcasting.

Appearing before the National Assembly committee on Energy and Communication, ADN, a consortium of Citizen TV, KTN, NTV and QTV, wants the government to allow it up to May 30th, 2015 to put in place the appropriate infrastructure.

The media houses argued that they are not opposed to the digital migration but to the hurry.

ANALOGUE RESTORATION

Nation Media Group chairman Wilfred Kiboro informed the committee that the digital migration issue is sensitive and that it touches on the rights of Kenyans and thus a need to handle it with sensitivity.

Meanwhile, Kenyans will have to wait longer to know the fate of the analogue television signal restoration.

This comes after the High Court postponed a petition by activist Okiya Omtata seeking to compel the CAK to restore the analogue signal as the digital migration stand off is being resolved.

Omtata had moved to court challenging the decision by CAK to switch off the analogue television signals for Citizen TV, NTV, QTV and KTN.

The case which, was to be heard on Wednesday, was postponed after CAK raised objections on the jurisdiction of the High Court on a matter that has already been determined by the Supreme Court.

CAK raised a preliminary objection to the hearing of the petition that seeks to compel it to allow the three media houses to resume broadcasts as they set up their digital broadcast infrastructure.

In his petition, Omtata argued that CAK selectively implemented the Supreme Court’s orders and ended up violating the rights of majority of Kenyans who depend on the three media houses for information.

SUPREME COURT RULING

The High Court in Nairobi had ordered Omtata to serve three media houses with a petition challenging their switch-off by the regulator.

Justice Isaac Lenaola had asked the three media houses to file their responses on the stand off before any orders can be granted.

In his petition, Omtata argued that the citizenry is being denied the basic constitutional rights to access information.

He further accused CAK of 'maliciously targetting the three media houses'.

Information Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i had earlier defended the move by CAK to switch off the signals saying the authority served a notice to the media houses asking them to switch off their analogue transmitters by midnight February 13th, 2015 in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling.

The three media houses want analogue television broadcasting reinstated for 90 days to facilitate a smooth transition process.

The media owners, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the joint Parliamentary Committee on Broadcast and Library and the Senate Committee on ICT, requested for more time to set up infrastructure in readiness for digital migration.

The media owners told the committee that they will ship in one million set-top boxes at a cost of about Ksh 4.5 billion to ensure free access to television.

By Maureen Murimi