Azimio La Umoja One's leader Raila Odinga in Kenya, has criticized the Communications Authority of Kenya for charging media outlets for their coverage of Azimio protests.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday at his Capitol Hill private office, Odinga suggested that the statement made by CAK Director General Ezra Chiloba was an attempt to silence the media.
Chiloba criticized six media outlets on Wednesday, claiming that their live coverage of the Azimio-led protests on Monday fell short of the requirements set by the regulator.
Raila claimed that Ezra Chiloba's statement was intended to silence media professionals and censor the press.
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Odinga criticized the administration of President William Ruto, calling the decision to enforce a complete blackout during the Azimio demonstration a totalitarian stance.
"We concur with other democracies that darkness is the death of democracy. President Ruto's move is opening the entire tyrant playbook", he claimed.
The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition emphasized that they would not permit President Ruto to undo the progress that the 2010 constitution had secured.
Odinga said, "In Azimio La Umoja, we will not let President William Ruto bring us back to the dark days of yesterday.
Ezra Chiloba, the director-general of the CA, alleged in a statement that six TV stations, including NTV, Citizen, K24, KBC, TV47, and Ebru Africa, portrayed situations that could frighten or excite the people and endanger national security.
Adding that it was crucial for all broadcasters to use prudence when covering live events to avoid scenes that would harm peace and unity, he urged all of them to ensure compliance.
Chiloba warned, "Take note that failure to comply with the specified responsibilities shall constitute acting in violation of licensing conditions, which shall attract penalty under applicable legal laws, including the termination of broadcast license or/and broadcast frequencies."
Azimio La Umoja One Kenya, led by Raila Odinga, staged anti-government demonstrations in Nairobi on Monday. Raila said that the protests would take place every Monday and Thursday in the whole country
