Media attacks 'vital for security'

Armed police stormed the offices of The Standard, setting fire to newspapers as they rolled off the presses. Picture / Reuters

KENYA - The Kenyan Government has defended the storming of a newspaper's offices by masked police as "vital to state security", amid condemnation by media freedom groups and foreign diplomats.

Gunmen stormed the offices of Kenya's oldest newspaper and set fire to first editions as they rolled off the press yesterday, in one of the most brutal acts of media censorship the country has seen since independence.

More than 30 men with AK-47s stormed the headquarters of The Standard newspaper and ordered its affiliate television station, KTN, off the air. Others headed to the printing presses and burned the newspapers. Computers and transmission equipment was also confiscated.

Internal Security Minister John Michuki said the raid was a "matter of state security", adding: "The police must be allowed to do their job. When you rattle a snake you must prepare yourself to be bitten."

The raids took place two days after three Standard journalists were detained and later charged with publishing alarming statements. The charges relate to a story that appeared in their Saturday paper revealing meetings between President Kibaki and a senior member of the opposition, Kalonzo Musyoka. Musyoka has denied that any such meetings took place, but condemned the attacks on the newspapers.

Ezekiel Mutua, secretary general of the Kenya Union of Journalists said the raid was "the most outrageous and sinister act against the media we have seen. This is designed to create fear among journalists and punish The Standard group which is seen as supporting the opposition."

Police said the raid followed evidence of a plot to incite ethnic hatred that would have threatened national security. It alleged Standard reporters had been paid to fabricate articles.

Western diplomats were quick to condemn the attacks, which are seen as a sign that the Government is becoming increasingly jittery about its grasp on power.

The British High Commissioner Adam Wood said: the actions marked "an unprecedented attack on the freedom of the media in Kenya".

The United States embassy said: "These acts of thuggery have no place in an open democratic society ... We call upon the Government of Kenya to disavow [the] actions, identify and discipline those responsible and cease efforts to intimidate the media."

President Kibaki's office has complained about several stories in The Standard in recent months, saying it is becoming nothing more than a mouthpiece for the opposition.

The newspaper has run several stories detailing corruption in Kenya, including articles about how former anti-corruption adviser John Githongo presented evidence of senior cabinet ministers' involvement in the Anglo Leasing scandal, when public funds were paid to a fictional company.

The Government has not managed to rule effectively since it lost a key referendum on a new constitution last November. After the vote, the ruling coalition fell apart and several key ministers formed a new party.

- INDEPENDENT, REUTERS