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Gideon told to quit as chair of team probing media shutdown

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Baringo Senator Gideon Moi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale has asked Baringo Senator Gideon Moi to consider leaving his role as chairman of the Senate ICT committee on the media shutdown to avoid conflict of interest.

Mr Moi, a principal shareholder at the Standard Group #ticker:SGL, chairs the committee that is currently looking into circumstances around shutdown of four television stations earlier in the month.

ICT secretary Joe Mucheru has twice skipped hearings of the committee where he is required to explain the 10-day TV shutdown that followed the controversial Raila Odinga ‘oath’.

Mr Duale told journalists Monday that as long as Mr Moi presides over the matter in which he has vested interest, the committee will be engaging in an exercise in futility.  

“So even if the Cabinet secretary comes and is asked questions, the report of the committee cannot be tabled on the floor of the House,” he said.

Mr Mucheru has been given the last chance to appear before the committee on March 6 at 10am, failure to which summons will be issued against him.

He is required before the committee to explain the  shutdown of four private TV stations — Citizen TV, Inooro TV, KTN News and NTV — as well as the crackdown on journalists.

READ: Mucheru skips Senate invite over TV shutdown

Mr Mucheru is also required to explain the transfer of Sh1 billion universal fund to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

The CA maintained the four television stations had defied an order not to cover the mock ‘swearing-in’ of opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Activist Okiya Omtatah moved to court seeking a declaration that the switch-off of TV stations by the government was illegal and against the Constitution.

Mr Duale said the matter is in court and the ICT committee should stay off it as investigating the matter at the moment amounts to sub-judice.

“Parliament cannot purport to discuss a matter that is before the Judiciary,” he said, adding that Mr Mucheru should in fact write to Parliament and quote the case number in order to validate his reasons for not appearing before the ICT committee.