Kenya election: Private TV and radio stations shut down as opposition leader 'swears himself in' as president

Independently owned the Citizen television and radio stations say they were forced off air

Opposition leader Raila Odinga holds a Bible aloft after swearing an oath during a mock swearing-in ceremony (AP)

Kenyan authorities have shut down private television and radio stations as thousands of people gathered to watch the country’s opposition leader “swear himself in” as president.

Independently-owned Citizen Television and Radio stations said government authorities had forced them off air due to their plans to cover the gathering, which took place in Nairobi.

Raila Odinga’s supporters insist that he, not President Uhuru Kenyatta, is Kenya’s legitimate leader, and that the election was neither free nor fair.

“The Communications Authority of Kenya has switched off Citizen Television and Radio in most parts of the country over the coverage of the Nasa ‘swearing-in’ plan,” the Citizen website said, referring to the opposition Nasa alliance.

A number of media outlets, including Citizen and television, NTV and KTN said that authorities had forced them off air. KTN had been showing a live video stream from the park.

Rebekka Rumpel, a research assistant on the Africa programme at Chatham House, described the situation as a “showdown” between Mr Odinga and Mr Kenyatta and added there had been a crackdown on freedom.

“This is part of a wider trend of the erosion of civil liberties in the wake of Kenya’s two elections last year: NGOs critical of the conduct of the elections were targeted by the government; protests were banned in three cities; and President Kenyatta vowed to “fix” the Supreme Court after it ruled the 8 August presidential election was not conducted in accordance with the constitution,” Ms Rumpel told The Independent.

Mr Kenyatta’s election victory in August was nullified by the Supreme Court over irregularities, but he then won a rerun boycotted by Mr Odinga.

The attorney general had warned that Mr Odinga could be charged with treason if the swearing-in event went ahead – an offence that can carry the death penalty.

Many of the attendees at the protest chanted pro-Odinga slogans, waving tree branches and blowing horns and whistles.

“Odinga is the one we recognise as the president and that is why we are swearing him in,” said hairdresser Benta Akinyi, 32.

Although the police had said they would prevent any illegal assembly, there were no uniformed police in the park and no anti-riot officers or vehicles were visible. On the edge of the crowd, a single tear gas canister was fired.