The Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) has suspended the license for Mt Kenya TV owned by Kirinyaga Women Representative Wangui Ngirici together with her husband Andrew Ngirici.
Mt Kenya TV is registered under the parent company M/S Slopes Media House Ltd.
CA suspended the station’s license after complaints a week ago of the station airing sexually explicit content during a kids show. The show sparked anger among Kenyans after its airing on April 19.
“Upon preliminary assessment, the Authority noted that the TV channel had, during it ‘Mucii wa ciana’ programme, featured an animated movie entitled Free Jimmy, containing scenes of sexually explicit content, drug abuse, robbery and violence in blatant breach of the Programming Code and the ICT sector law,” CA said in a statement Wednesday.
CA said that Mt Kenya TV breached the terms of its license when it aired the programme during the watershed period.
As a result, Mt Kenya TV will be off-air beginning Wednesday, April 28 until 30 days are over which is a part of the suspension by CA.
“The Authority has directed that Mt Kenyan TV Channel go off-air from mid-day today for a minimum period of four weeks within which time the license shall put in place appropriate safeguards to ensure compliance with its license terms and conditions,” the statement added.
CA also fined the station Ksh500,000 in fine for airing inappropriate content during the watershed period.
Also, the station’s staff will be required to undergo fresh mandatory training in Programming Code.
Mt Kenya TV will also be required to “review its editorial policy to align it with requirements of the law on the protection of children.”
