Kalonzo to gov't on media gag: 'A regime running away from the truth'

Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has come out strongly against the government following the forceful shutdown of major TV stations covering Wednesday’s national protests, calling it a desperate attempt to hide the truth and a direct attack on democracy.

Speaking after NTV and KTN were pulled off air for broadcasting live protest coverage, Mr Musyoka accused the government of weaponising state agencies to gag the press and suppress constitutional freedoms.

“A regime that sends police to shut down media is not silencing coverage — it is running from the truth,” Mr Musyoka  said in a scathing statement released Wednesday evening.

The blackout came hours after the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) directed broadcasters to halt live coverage of the June 25 commemorations, which marked one year since police killed 63 young protesters during the 2024 Gen Z demonstrations.

Mr Musyoka said the CA’s action is not only unconstitutional but also in direct violation of a 2023 High Court ruling that barred the Authority from regulating live broadcast content.

“This is not just contempt of court. It is contempt for democracy. The CA lacks any legal mandate to censor media,” he added.

The Wiper leader revealed that his party has moved to court to challenge what he termed an unlawful directive and a rogue overreach by the CA.

“We will not allow a rogue agency to trample on the Constitution and walk away unchallenged,” he said. “Live reporting is not a threat. It is a civic duty.”

The day’s events painted a grim picture for press freedom in Kenya. In addition to the blackout of NTV, KTN, and K24, NTV journalist Ruth Sarmwei was shot with a rubber bullet while covering protests in Nairobi — a development Kalonzo described as both shocking and symbolic of growing state insecurity.

Mr Musyoka warned that when the state begins to fear the media more than the public chaos it provokes, the country enters a dangerous era where “the real danger is no longer in the streets — it is in the system.”

Reaffirming Wiper’s commitment to democratic values, the former Vice President said Kenyans must remain vigilant against creeping authoritarianism masked as regulation.

“These constitutional rights are not suggestions. They are the law,” he said, citing Articles 34 and 35 of the Constitution, which guarantee media freedom and access to information.