Uasin Gishu CIPK chairman Sheikh Abubakar Bini with other Muslim clerics in Eldoret town [Photo | kenyatoday.co.ke]
Muslim leaders from the North Rift region have termed the decision to shut down major media houses in the country over the coverage of the controversial Nasa swearing in as an indication that the government is 'intolerant' to different views.
Led by Uasin Gishu Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) chairman Sheikh Abubakar Bini, the clerics said the 'attack' on the media is dictatorial and should not be condoned.
"We do not accept the decision by the government to shutdown media outlets. The media is the eyes and ears of the over 40 million people in this country. Shutting down the press is denying Kenyans their fundamental rights," Bini said.
The cleric further noted that the country was past the infamous KANU era and warned that recent move to crackdown on media outlets might lead to Kenyans loosing confidence in government.
"We are cautioning the government, this trend is not advisable, they are taking the country back to the dark days of KANU dictatorship. This measure will taint the respect Kenyans had for them," noted the CIPK chairman.
This comes at a time the government has insisted that three leading media house's shutdown on Tuesday will remain off-air until when ongoing investigations' are finalized.