NAIROBI – The Communication Authority of Kenya has ordered the closure of a local television channel – Mt. Kenya TV for a period of four weeks after the station aired sexually explicit content on children’s programmes.
The authority alleges that the Mt Kenya TV aired inappropriate content during the watershed period. The authority said the programme in contention carried sexually explicit content, scenes of drug abuse as well as robbery and violence.
“The Licensee acknowledged that the content aired was indeed inappropriate for the watershed period. The licensee attributed the violation to a content mix-up in the control room but failed to explain how the offensive content had found its way into the content server,” read a statement from the authority boss, Mercy Wanjau.
“The Authority has established that the airing of the animated movie, ‘Free Jimmy,’ was in blatant breach of the Broadcasting Regulations; the Programme Code; and the terms and conditions of the station’s broadcasting license,” said the acting CA Director-General Mrs. Wanjau in a press statement on Wednesday.
The authority imposed a further $4,600 (about Ugx16.5m) fine and ordered the channel’s journalists to undergo special training before they resume operations.
The station issued an apology both on-air and social media pages. It further assured that it will review its editorial policy to align it with requirements of the law on the protection of children and to file a copy with the authority.
