All eyes on MPs as TV blackout bites

Kenyans enter the third week in darkness, denied access to information about what is happening around their country courtesy of the digital migration acrimony.

All eyes are now trained on the National Assembly and the Senate when they table reports of their findings and recommendations that may break fresh grounds where the Executive and the Judiciary have failed.

The leadership of the National Assembly, led by Speaker Justin Muturi and Clerk Justin Bundi, chairs of the departmental committees retreated in a bid to reclaim lost ground that has seen the august House cast in bad light.

Mr Muturi said he was awaiting the report of the Energy, Information and Communications Committee and was hopeful that an amicable solution would be found.

The week saw several meetings aimed at resolving the stand-off between three leading Kenyan media houses - The Standard Group, Nation Media Group and Royal Media Services on one hand and the Communications Authority of Kenya on the other.

Similarly, Information Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’í appeared before the National Assembly’s Energy, Information and Communications committee to explain the challenges that have dogged the digital migration.

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But Matiangí gave a meeting with National Assembly leadership in Mombasa a wide berth, a forum that was expected to offer options out of the impasse. It was not immediately clear why he skipped the meeting at the last minute. The chairman of the Parliamentary Energy Communication Committee Jamleck Kamau said they have listened to players from the three media houses and would give those who have moved to the digital platforms a chance this week before compiling the recommendations.

Majority leader Aden Duale said the Jubilee administration is keen on resolving the impasse after listening to many complaints from the resultant switch-off.

“We have listened to Kenyans and we are looking at best solutions to this challenge. We hope to resolve it as soon as possible.” Despite many meetings, no consensus has been arrived at to enable Kenyans view their preferred TV news and entertainment programmes once again.

At risk are at least 4,000 jobs, among them dozens of journalists and correspondents who produce content, artists whose creative works or drama series feature in the three stations, technicians who support the channels to broadcast and a host of support staff.

Putting roadblocks

Kenya has been rolled back to the dark ages where they hardly enjoyed plurality of content and were treated to mediocre content, often laced with propaganda against KTN, NTV, QTV and Citizen TV.

Strangely, the bureaucrats behind the strategy that aims at converting Kenya from a Free-to-Air TV market into a pay TV environment, enjoy multiple sources from which they access information ranging from internet, mobile platforms, newspapers both local and international and of course Pay TV channels.

On the other hand the poor citizens seeking basic information and entertainment through comedies, food, clinics, job opportunities and market prices for their produce have nothing to rely on. Yet the officials who should spend more time resolving the problem are now more pre-occupied with putting roadblocks in the way of the three media houses.

Instead of questioning registration of a consortium of three media companies that have contributed immensely to the development of broadcasting in Kenya, shouldn’t they be telling Kenyans who the faceless individuals behind the Chinese company PANG are? After all, this is the company they have allocated nearly 60 per cent of Kenya’s frequencies to.

The Africa Digital Network, the consortium bringing together the three media houses, has said it will be ready with its transmission infrastructure and set top boxes by end of May. That is how long it will take for viewers to get back their favourite programmes, if the media houses do not get the grace period they are asking for.

And yesterday in Naivasha, the Wiper Party accused the Jubilee Government of arrogance over its handling of digital migration; and demanded that KTN, NTV, QTV and Citizen TV transmission be restored immediately.

“The stations should be allowed to return on air and be given time to import the top set boxes and the matter should be handled expeditiously,” said new party Secretary General Omar Hassan.