By Brian Okoth
A Kenyan court has lifted communication regulator's ban on live coverage of protests on Wednesday.
The High Court in Nairobi said that the petition filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya Editors Guild raises "fundamental constitutional questions touching on potential violation of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution and freedom of the media."
Judge Chacha Mwita said that he was "satisfied" by the petitioners' grounds, and therefore ordered suspension, "with immediate effect", of the broadcast directive issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) earlier Wednesday.
The judge added that the suspension remains in place "until the hearing and determination" of the petitioners' case.
Protests turn deadly
The matter will be mentioned on July 2.
Earlier Wednesday, Kenyans from different parts of the country poured to the streets to voice their concerns with the administration of President William Ruto.
At least three people from eastern and central Kenya were killed in the Wednesday protests, with hospitals indicating that they had gunshot wounds.
Police violence, economic hardship, national healthcare insurance challenges, an increase in the cost of education, and alleged corruption in government are among the reasons they cited for holding the demonstrations.
Intense protests in Nairobi
Kenya's capital Nairobi witnessed the most intense protests, with shops and offices in the city centre remaining closed out of caution.
Whereas the central business district of the capital was largely sealed off, scores of protesters began marching to State House, Nairobi, the president's official residence. They, however, met police resistance.
The protests were held to commemorate one year after major anti-tax demonstrations were held in the East African nation, prompting President Ruto to drop the tax increment plan.
In the 2024 demonstrations, at least 60 people lost their lives, with most of them succumbing to gunshot injuries.
Unmet pledges
Kenya's fifth President, Ruto, has been in power since September 2022.
He swept to victory on the election pledge of lowering Kenya's cost of living, creating jobs, fighting corruption in government, reducing public borrowing, building more development projects, including roads, electricity network, schools and hospitals.
However, recent opinion polls indicate that more than half of Kenyans are disappointed by Ruto's presidency.
Ruto has, however, repeatedly said that he inherited an ailing economy that requires adequate time and "painful" measures to turn around.
