Kenyans on Thursday awoke to the shocking news of a Government attack on the Standard Group, in which KTN was put off air, the printing plant disabled and tens of thousands of newspapers burnt.
And the country united in roundly condemning the raid on the media group, which was described as a blatant assault on Press freedom.
Media colleagues, politicians - including some members of Government - the Church, lobby groups, professionals, human rights activists and ordinary Kenyans all joined the management and staff of the Standard group in protesting against the barbaric move. They held demonstrations in Nairobi and Kisumu, addressed Press conferences, issued statements, called into live TV and radio broadcasts or simply called our newsrooms to express solidarity with us.
Some callers termed the attack "the darkest moment" in Kenyan history and demanded the immediate resignation of the Government.
In the commando-like operation, masked policemen descended on the Standard Group's premises at the I&M Bank Tower in the city centre and switched off the KTN, before proceeding to the Group's printing plant on Likoni Road, where they disabled the press and set on fire tens of thousands of newspapers.
The squad, from the dreaded Kanga crack squad, beat up staff and carried away vital broadcast equipment and computers from the KTN newsroom.
It put the station off air from half-past midnight to 2pm yesterday and also paralysed the circulation of Thursday's edition of The Standard in most parts of the country.
However, the Group's staff and management worked fast and hard to put the station back on air and put out a Special Edition of The Standard by 2pm.
Government took responsibility
The attack on the media house, which came as three Standard journalists spent a second night in police cells, was believed to be linked to a story published in The Saturday Standard. The three - Mr Chaacha Mwita, Managing Editor, Weekend Editions, News Editor Denis Onyango and reporter Ayub Savula, were charged in court on Thursday and released on cash bail.
The raid was carried out by police wearing jackets marked, QRU, an abbreviation for Quick Rescue Unit.
The Government took responsibility for the attack, with Security minister, John Michuki, declaring: "If you rattle a snake, you must be prepared to be bitten by it". He said police were simply doing their job.
Police spokesman Jaspher Ombati also put out a statement on the raid, in which he claimed the media house was raided following information that it intended to perpetuate an act that posed a major threat to national security.
But Police Commissioner Major General Hussein Ali, in whose name the statement was purportedly issued, was said to be unaware of both the raid and the statement. Ali, who is in Seychelles on official duty, was said to have disowned the statement.
In another twist, Information minister Mutahi Kagwe and assistant minister Koigi wa Wamwere both disassociated themselves with the raid. They had no knowledge of it, they declared.
The raid was condemned by, among others, the Leader of the Official Opposition, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, the Orange Democratic Movement, the Media Council of Kenya, Media Owners Association, the Law Society of Kenya, 28 foreign missions, the United Nations, 31 civil society groups and the Kenya Union of Journalists.
The Standard Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tom Mshindi, and the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr Paul Melly, strongly condemned the attack at an international Press Conference, also attended by four other directors: Mr Ben Chepkoit, Mr Paul Wanyaga, Mr Chris Kisire and Mr Kwendo Opanga.
The directors said the move was aimed at paralysing operations of the Standard Newspapers and KTN.
"We believe that extra-judicial settling of scores has no place in any country which believes in the rule of law. It is our belief that the country is still respecting its constitution," the board said in its statement, read to the media by Mshindi.
Unlawful destruction of property
Melly said the Group would move to court to stop the Government from carrying out such raids in future. Mshindi and Melly later reported the attack at the Central Police Station, before lodging a formal complaint with the police at Vigilance House.
Angry reactions started pouring in as soon as the first news bulletin went out at 6am. Continuous live coverage of the unfolding events by all the major FM radio stations and the NTV also elicited angry statements.
The heads of twenty-eight foreign missions put out a strong statement demanding word from the Government on what action it would take to investigate the cases of assault, theft, unlawful destruction of property, kidnapping and harassment.
The police action, they said, "mark an unprecedented attack on the freedom of the media in Kenya and are in contradiction to the positive line taken by the Government on the issue of freedom of expression since the 2002 elections".
And the United Nations asked the Government to prosecute the architects of the raid. United Nations Director General of Nairobi Office Klaus Toepfer stated that press freedom was a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of human rights.
The Media Owners Association also reacted angrily to the vicious attack on the Standard Newspapers and KTN and demanded their immediate reinstatement.
"We demand unconditional and immediate reinstatement of KTN and Standard newspapers operations," said MOA chairperson Rose Kimotho
The Orange Democratic Movement condemned the attack, describing it as an act of terrorism.
Its leaders said the action had nothing to do with last Saturday's story that said Mwingi North MP Kalonzo Musyoka had held a secret meeting with president Kibaki.
Kalonzo and Langata MP Raila Odinga, who led the group, said that the raid at the Standard offices was under the control of foreign mercenaries, who had been hired by the Government to the country.
'Extreme, sinister and barbaric'
The leaders, who also included MPs Mutula Kilonzo and William Ruto, made remarks when they paid a courtesy call on the Standard Group management at the I&M Bank Tower.
They later addressed a large crowd outside the building where they announced mass action on Tuesday next week to protest against the Government's action.
Local Government minister Musikari Kombo termed the attack "extreme, sinister and barbaric". Kombo said he was still lost for words, when contacted for comment, adding: "There are a lot of questions that need to be answered".
Another Cabinet minister, Mr Njeru Ndwiga, termed the incident "crude, barbaric and uncalled for", saying there were several channels of seeking redress on press issues.
Assistant minister for Energy, Mwangi Kiunjuri, expressed shock and dismay at the incident.
Saying such incidents took Kenya back to colonial days, Kiunjuri noted that the raid on The Standard Group must be condemned by all Kenyans.
"The government must come out and state clearly what happened. Kenyans must be told the truth. We must be told exactly what happened or the government risks losing the remaining confidence and respect that Kenyans have for it," said Kiunjuri.
And speaking on behalf of the 27 Catholic bishops, the Chairman of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop Cornelius Korir, said it was a shame that the Government could resort to such brutal attacks on the media.
"They should have used other legal channels to solve the problem and we as the church strongly condemn the attack," said Korir.
"The attack poses a serious threat to the media. It sends a chilling message to other media," Justice Chaskalson of International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said.
Reacting to humiliating defeat
Copies of The Standard newspapers go up in flames at our printing plant on Likoni Road in Industrial Area, Nairobi, early Thursday morning. Pic by Jacob Otieno
The East African Business Council while condemning the attack described it as bizarre.
"It is indeed the saddest say for Kenya, the EAC region and the media world at large, in this era of press freedom," said Executive Director Elly Manjale.
The National Convention Executive Council (NCEC) said the brutal attack was characteristic of dictatorship.
Speaking on behalf of the council, Rev Timothy Njoya said the raid clearly showed the Government was out to punish those who opposed it.
"The Government has gone to a point where those who oppose it face the dire consequences " he said.
Njoya, who was speaking to journalists at a Nairobi hotel, said The Standard Group offices and printing press were raided for strongly censuring the Government on several matters.
He said the Government could be reacting to the humiliating defeat it faced at the referendum last year, where the majority rejected the proposed constitution.
He asked the Government to settle scores with politicians and not journalists. "Standard is not a political party. Journalists are not politicians but messengers," he said.
"Even if the Kalonzo story were lies, these were issued to be settled between Kalonzo and his colleagues," he said.
And former Director of Public Prosecutions, Phillip Murgor, questioned the reasons advanced by the police for conducting the raids at the Standard Group's offices. Murgor dismissed the statement by police spokesman, Jasper Ombati, that the crackdown was in the interest of national security as an "afterthought" and damage control exercise at its worst.
Police sincerity questioned
He said: "The police statement has come too late. If the police are genuine they should have issued that statement in the morning immediately after the raids. It's not worth the paper it is written on."
Murgor spoke at a special show aired by KTN soon after the station went back on air following the midnight raid that crippled its transmission. He said the show of brute force by the police clearly demonstrated that the attacks were meant to intimidate the media house.
"Sending heavily armed and masked policemen to raid an enterprise that is not linked to terrorism is itself an act of terror," he said.
If the police had prior information on the alleged threat to national security, said Murgor, they should have acted upon it in accordance with the law.
He added that by going on the rampage to cripple the Group's operations, they had raised eyebrows on their real intentions. He questioned the police sincerity in claiming they were not responsible for burning copies of The Standard at the Likoni printing press.
"The denial rings hollow. The TV footage captures a police officer holding back people as copies of the newspaper burn. This implies their involvement," he said.
He said the Standard Group could seek legal recourse against the authorities for arson, malicious damage to property and criminal libel.
