Three of Kenya’s largest private TV channels remain off the air, despite an order by the country’s High Court suspending a shutdown.

The government cut off KTN, NTV, and Citizen TV over plans to broadcast opposition leader Raila Odinga’s unofficial “inauguration” on Tuesday.

The court suspended the ban for 14 days while the case is heard.

There is no sign the government will comply with the court ruling, the BBC’s Gladys Kigo reports from Nairobi.

Mr Odinga lost last year’s election and his “swearing-in” was widely seen as a publicity stunt, but the authorities said it was an act of treason.

Opposition groups have accused the Kenyan government of violating the public’s right to information about important events.

When asked about the matter, Joseph Mucheru, the minister of information, communication and technology, told the BBC it was a security issue and that only the security minister could answer the question of when the stations would be able to broadcast again.

The High Court also ordered the state not to interfere with the operation of KTN, NTV, and Citizen TV pending a full hearing.

The channels were taken off the air on Tuesday morning ahead of the “swearing-in”, but continue to stream their content online.

The interior ministry said in a statement circulating on social media that broadcasting the event – described as an attempt to “subvert or overthrow” the government – “would have led to the deaths of thousands of innocent Kenyans”.

Kenyan journalists denounced the move as outrageous and in a statement called for “respect of the constitution” and an end to the “unprecedented intimidation of journalists”.

Some journalists have been camping out in their newsrooms for fear of being arrested.

Linus Kaikai, the head of NTV, said: “We were informed by very reliable sources that policemen were downstairs and what they wanted to do was to arrest us when we leave the building, so we have since that time not left the building.”

BBC analysts say KTN, NTV and Citizen TV are perceived to offer relatively independent and balanced news coverage, though they have been criticised by the opposition in the past.

In their absence, some Kenyans are turning to newspapers and social media for their news. Others are going to the state-owned KBC and the private K24 TV. The two stations usually attract low viewership due to their pro-government bias.

‘Kenyans fuming’
Analysis: Ferdinand Omondi, BBC News

Kenyans have been fuming at their inability to watch news and their favourite programmes for three days, and will welcome the court’s decision.

The affected media companies have suffered losses measured in the millions of dollars. The TV stations depend on advertising, so they could not make money during the period they have been off-air.

Human rights activist Okiya Omtatah, who petitioned the court, asked the government to pay for the financial losses that Citizen TV, KTN and NTV have incurred.

The stations command nearly two-thirds of Kenya’s TV audience. But the emergence of alternate advertising platforms, including social media, was already hurting their revenue streams. The three companies have been forced to lay off hundreds of workers in the past year to balance their books.

The Kenyan government had wanted the stations to remain shut indefinitely as police investigated Tuesday’s ceremony.

Northeastern residents believe the wall being constructed by the government along the Kenya – Somalia boarder is a waste of time and money and will not help block al Shabaab militia.

Some are unhappy because they expected a concrete wall and not the barbed wire fence being put up.

Others however believe the 440km wall launched in March 2015 is ultimate solution to end the constant attacks by the terror group.

The government had not estimated the cost, but one unofficial estimate places the cost at Sh20 billion, another at Sh203 million a kilometre. The wall is supposed to stretch from Border Point One in Mandera to Kiunga in Lamu county.

“We though it was a concrete wall but what we are seeing is more of a fence and we wonder how it will keep off the militants who are known to use explosives to have their way,” resident Ahmed Mohamed said.

Mohamed said it was better to have a concrete wall that will take years to put up than what they were seeing.

But Resident Abdi Maulid said that the wall was more than enough to deter the militants from moving in and out of the country at will and.

Speaking in Mandera town when he inspected the 8 km completed section of the wall, regional coordinator Mohamud Saleh said the initial concrete security wall was redesigned because of the huge financial implication and that the works will be carried out in phases all the way to Kiunga in Lamu County.

Saleh however said he was satisfied with the work so far done.

According to the new design, the wall is being constructed with parallel chain links, concrete poles running parallel to each other and razor wires running in between them.

A 3 metre deep trench on the Kenyan side also runs along the fence and next to it is a road to be used by security personnel to patrol the border.
Designated entry points will consist of concrete walls feasted with CCTV cameras.

Saleh said project’ is meant to secure residents from terrorist attacks.

He said an additional 28km of the land had been surveyed, its bush cleared and soon the construction will resume.

Sales added that citizens crossing over to the country for business must do so in a structured manner.

“We want to have good relations with our neighbours but we won’t allow our people to be terrorised by anybody,” Saleh said.

“The era the Somali citizens used to walk in and out is no longer there. Anybody coming into Kenya must use a passport or other legal documents,” he added.

“I am satisfied as the chairman of the Northeastern security and intelligence team with the work the being done by the KDF who are undertaking the project,” Saleh noted.

“I want to assure Kenyans that the government is focused on the project. We have no problems with the people of Somalia. They are our neighbours who have had serious security challenges for the past 26 years,” he added.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga was on Tuesday ‘sworn-in’ as the ‘people’s president’.

“I Raila Amolo Odinga, in full realisation of the high calling, assume the office of the People’s President of the Republic of Kenya,” he said in an the oath administered by Ruaraka MP TJ Kajwang.

National Super Alliance (Nasa) principals including Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula were absent during the event at Uhuru Park which took less than 10 minutes.

“We have accomplished our promise to Kenyans,” said Mr Odinga.

Soon after the event, Mr Odinga changed his Twitter bio to “President of the Republic of Kenya”.