COTU Boss Francis Atwoli Questions Media Over Protest Coverage Dispute with Government
COTU-K Secretary General Francis Atwoli has voiced his shock over the decision by top media outlets to take legal action against a government order that banned live coverage of the June 25 protests.
Speaking at a media briefing, Atwoli criticized Standard Group and Nation Media Group for going against a directive issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK). Despite the order, both companies continued airing live footage of the protests through their channels KTN and NTV.
“I’ve been around the world, but I’ve never seen anyone take a government directive to court,” Atwoli remarked.
The CA had issued a notice on Wednesday asking all TV and radio stations to stop broadcasting the protests live, claiming they had turned violent. This affected major Kenyan broadcasters including NTV, KTN, and Citizen TV.
The CA accused the stations of violating Articles 33(2) and 34(1) of the Kenyan Constitution. These sections protect freedom of the press but limit content that promotes hate speech, violence, war propaganda, or ethnic incitement.
Following the defiance, CA officials raided NTV and KTN’s transmission sites and shut down their free-to-air signals.
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Both media houses confirmed that the disruption was due to their continued coverage of the protests, even after the warning from the CA.
Court Blocks Government from Shutting Down Stations
Atwoli didn’t hold back on criticizing the judiciary either. He slammed the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and other legal professionals who obtained court orders stopping the CA from interfering with the stations.
“They went to court in the evening, with no one in the office, and got orders allowing TV and radio to go back on air,” said Atwoli.
The court issued conservatory orders after public backlash, accusing the CA of violating constitutional rights by trying to silence the media. Rights groups, including the Kenya Human Rights Commission, had encouraged media houses to reject the directive.
On Thursday morning, CA restored the signals for KTN and NTV, allowing them to resume broadcasting. A check by Gossipa2z.com confirmed that Signet’s signals for KTN, NTV, and K24 were fully back on air after being off for much of Wednesday.
Protests Honor Slain Gen Z Demonstrators
The protests held on June 25 were meant to honor young Kenyans—mostly Gen Z—who were killed during earlier anti-Finance Bill demonstrations in 2024. While most protests happened in Nairobi’s CBD, others were reported in Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisii, and Kajiado.
COTU Boss Francis Atwoli Questions Media Over Protest Coverage Dispute with Government
