The Managing Director of Radio Africa, Patrick Quarcoo, has strongly condemned the threat by the Media Council to close down the Star.
"We take the greatest exception to the behaviour of the Media Council. We think their behaviour is unprofessional and unethical," he said.
"The Media Council has crossed the line and is attempting to become an instrument of censorship," he declared.
"There have been previous instances where we have taken exception to their behaviour but out of respect for the Council, we have not taken action," Quarcoo said.
"Radio Africa Group will now defend itself and consider taking legal advice to sue the Media Council for defamation," he said.
He also confirmed that the Radio Africa Group had received no request to appear before the Media Council on January 22 as stated in the press release by Ethics Commission chairperson Grace Munjuri.
The Media Council of Kenya on Thursday issued a press release saying that it was contemplating "withdrawal of accreditation of its journalists and excommunication of the paper from media enterprises regulated under Media Council of Kenya."
Only accredited media outlets and journalists are allowed to work in Kenya under the Media Act of December 2013. Withdrawal of accreditation would be equivalent to closure.
The press release signed by Grace Munjuri, Chairperson of the Ethics and Public Information Committee, complained about "persistent publishing of offensive stories and pictures by the Star." It did not specify which stories or pictures had been deemed offensive.
