The Communications Authority order to TV stations to suspend live broadcasts of the protests was yesterday met with a loud chorus of condemnation.
The reactions were inspired by an earlier High Court dictum that only the Media Council of Kenya has powers to issue directives to media houses.
It is always tempting to target the messenger at times of crisis.
The knee-jerk reaction is a clear proof the government was not well prepared to hand the demos.
To make matters even worse, the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja made a public statement that created the impression that the police would behave differently.
But the chaos, clampdown, barricading, teargassing and water cannons meant the police service are yet to learn that the Gen Z cannot be deterred by fear or threats of death.
It failed last year and it will fail again.
It would be ridiculous to cover up the failure of the police by shutting down the media.
Besides, the young demonstrators get their feed from YouTube, TikTok and other social media channels independent of national TV stations.
The flipside of the instruction is the proliferation of lies and misleading information that could only make the situation worse.
Quote of the day: “We already had success in
creating a democratic, national government
that is revolutionary and popular. That is how
socialism begins, not with decrees.” —Chilean
socialist politician Salvador Allende was born on June
26, 1908.
