Nairobi, Kenya — The High Court has called on petitioners challenging the Communications Authority of Kenya’s (CA) directive to ban live media coverage of the June 25 protests to consolidate their efforts, cautioning against filing multiple overlapping cases.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, Justice Chacha Mwita questioned the proliferation of separate petitions, noting that the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya Editors’ Guild (KEG) had already filed a similar case.
“Put your efforts together. Don’t split your efforts. It’s not about the number of petitions but the substance,” Justice Mwita told the petitioners, urging a unified approach.
The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and the Media Lawyers Association of Kenya, through their lawyer Ibrahim Oduor, expressed willingness to join the existing LSK and KEG petition as co-petitioners.
However, the judge flagged procedural gaps, stating that consolidation could not proceed until all parties had been properly served with court documents.
“I cannot consolidate a matter that has not been served with a matter that has made progress,” Justice Mwita ruled. “I am not satisfied that the pleadings therein are served. Let pleadings be served.”
The judge also questioned the level of coordination among the petitioners and advised them to amend their pleadings to focus on the substantive issues at hand, adding that consolidation would help avoid unnecessary duplication of cases.
The legal battle stems from the CA’s controversial directive that halted live coverage of the June 25, 2025, anti-government protests, a move widely criticised as an infringement on press freedom and the right to access information.
The court had earlier issued a conservatory order suspending the directive, allowing affected media houses to resume live broadcasts pending the full hearing of the petitions.
Petitioners argue that the directive was unconstitutional and set a dangerous precedent for media freedom in Kenya.
The case is scheduled to return to court on October 27, 2025, when further directions are expected.
By Were Kelly
