The media regulator says the government has complained about a documentary on alleged extra-judicial killings by the Kenyan police screened by Al Jazeera on Monday.
Media Council of Kenya (MCK) programmes manager Victor Bwire said the Information ministry had dismissed the broadcast as “inaccurate”.
“We have received a complaint and we will give both parties an opportunity to tell their side of the story,” Mr Bwire said.
“The government raised two key issues of inaccuracy and the potential for the film to fan religious intolerance. Our complaints commission will assess the merits and demerits of the complaint,” he said without giving timelines.
The complaint arose from a documentary titled Inside Kenya’s Death Squads, a 49-minute film that shows a number of anonymous police officers confessing to killing radical clerics.
SHEIKH ABOUD ROGO
Some of the clerics killed by unknown gunmen are Sheikh Aboud Rogo, Sheikh Mohammed Idris and Sheikh Abubakar Shariff Ahmed aka Makaburi. Others have simply disappeared.
“The timing is suspicious and appears meant to derail Kenya’s efforts to fight terrorism. The documentary was deliberately planned and aired at a time when the country is seeking support to strengthen its war against terror through legislative reforms,” said Interior PS Monicah Juma.
Information Principal Secretary Joseph Tiampati, who filed the complaint, said the story was one-sided. “The programme seems intent on fanning inter-religious conflict in Kenya,” he added.
Both the UK and Israel have denied assisting Kenyan police to kill the suspect
-nation.co.ke
