A prosecution witness in a case where a man was charged with running an illegal radio station told the court that the station was using frequency meant for airlines.
The unnamed witness is an engineer in charge of the frequency department at the Communication Authority.
On Wednesday, a Kisumu magistrate court was told that Max FM which was being operated by Austin John was not using radio frequency.
The witness told the court that all broadcasting frequencies in Kenya operate within a bandwidth of 87.0 mhz to 108.0 mhz, while those for aviation services operate within a spectrum of 108.0 mhz to 137.0 MHz.
"He also confirmed to the court that the frequency on which Austin John was operating was within the aeronautical service frequencies," the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said.
The witness told the court that radio stations are not allowed to use aeronautical service frequencies because it interfered with the airline frequency that aids communication between pilots and the control tower,
The witness said using the aeronautical frequency puts passengers and other airspace users' lives in danger.
He further informed the court that the accused person's application for a frequency had been rejected by the authority since there was no available frequency in the Kisumu area at the time.
The hearing will continue on October 24, 2023.
