- The Communications Authority plans to revoke Standard Group’s broadcast licences over a Ksh48.7M debt.
- Standard Group says it has been repaying as per an agreed plan since December 2024.
- The media house accuses the government of trying to silence critical journalism.
- Standard Group claims the state owes them Ksh1.2B in advertising arrears.
- The matter is now before the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal.
Standard Group PLC, the media powerhouse behind KTN and other platforms, is staring at a possible blackout. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has threatened to pull the plug on all its broadcasting operations over what it terms as unpaid fees totaling Ksh48.7 million.
In an official letter dated April 9, CA Director General David Mugonyi stated the regulator’s intent to revoke all the broadcaster’s licences and gazette the revocation—an act that could cripple one of Kenya’s oldest media institutions.
But the media house isn’t taking it lying down. In response, Standard Group dismissed the CA’s action as both unfair and suspiciously timed. According to the company, they signed a repayment plan with the regulator in December 2024 and have been keeping their end of the deal.
They revealed that an initial Ksh10 million was paid in December, followed by two Ksh4 million payments in January and February 2025—figures well above the Ksh2.5 million monthly schedule initially agreed upon.
Chief Executive Editor Chaacha Mwita didn’t mince his words during a KTN broadcast. He accused the CA of bad faith and questioned why the repayment plan was suddenly being disregarded.
“We’ve honoured the arrangement. This feels like sabotage. We’ll challenge it by all means,” Mwita said.
The standoff, according to Standard Group, runs deeper than just financial obligations. Mwita and his team believe the attempt to revoke licences is politically charged—a response to their relentless coverage of government failures and corruption scandals under the Kenya Kwanza regime.
“We report facts, not propaganda. We won’t sugarcoat the truth just to massage the government’s ego,” Mwita stated firmly.
Interestingly, while the CA demands Ksh48 million, the Standard Group claims the state itself owes them over Ksh1.2 billion in unpaid advertising revenue—spanning various ministries, counties, and parastatals. That irony hasn’t gone unnoticed by the media house.
Seeking legal refuge, Standard Group has taken the matter to the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal. The company wants the tribunal to halt the CA’s Gazette notice and stop the looming shutdown.
Mwita expressed hope that the tribunal would protect not just their operations but also press freedom in Kenya.
This isn’t Standard Group’s first encounter with state pressure. Just last month, the Ministry of Irrigation cancelled a media deal the company had won fairly. Additionally, they’ve faced social media attacks, fake news, and targeted harassment allegedly driven by hired digital mercenaries.
Despite all the heat, Standard Group says it’s here to stay. Mwita made it clear that the company, founded in 1902, won’t bow to intimidation.
“We were built for this. The truth must be told—and we’re not backing down,” he declared.
