KENYA: Armed police stormed the offices and printing presses of Kenya's second largest media house yesterday, burning copies of its national newspaper and taking a TV station off the air.
Western diplomats, opposition politicians and independent commentators condemned the move as a draconian overreaction to negative coverage of the government.
The raid follows the detention of three Kenyan journalists on Tuesday for publishing a story about President Mwai Kibaki suggesting he had held secret meetings with an opposition leader.
His government has stumbled from one crisis to another since losing a referendum last November. Last month, key ministers were forced to resign as allegations of widespread corruption came to light. Masked officers carrying AK47 assault rifles arrived at the Standard's city centre headquarters shortly after midnight on Wednesday. They seized computers and searched staff.
An hour later, officers smashed their way into the Standard's printing presses in the industrial area of Nairobi before piling thousands of copies of the daily paper on to a bonfire.
Meanwhile overnight staff at the paper's sister TV station, KTN, were ordered to cease transmission. Tom Mshindi, chief executive of the Standard Group, condemned the raids.
"We believe this is a direct and blatant attempt to undermine the freedom of the press in this country that is guaranteed by the constitution," he said.
Kenya's press was widely regarded as one of the least restricted in Africa. It includes scurrilous tabloids as well as the Standard, Kenya's oldest newspaper which, alongside the Nation, has been instrumental in exposing corruption by former and current ministers.
Three of its journalists were charged yesterday for their part in publishing a story alleging that the president had met key opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka. The journalists were arrested on Tuesday and charged with "publishing false rumour with intent to cause alarm to the public".
Kenyan police accused the media group yesterday of accepting cash for planting stories designed to destabilise the country. Internal security minister John Michuki said: "If you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten by it."
However the raids were met by widespread condemnation.
Uhuru Kenyatta, leader of the main opposition Kanu party, called for President Kibaki to explain the raids. "These actions are reminiscent of a dictatorial, tyrannical and despotic regime out to trample on the democratic rights of citizens."
The US embassy released a particularly undiplomatic statement. "We deplore the current campaign of vilification and harassment of selected media. Clearly, the intent is to intimidate journalists, restrict press freedom and deny Kenyan citizens their right to information and opinion."