NAIROBI, KENYA — Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Kaluma has urged the Kenyan government to ban the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from operating in Kenya.
Kaluma’s call follows the BBC’s release of a documentary on YouTube on Monday, April 28, 2025 titled “Blood Parliament.” The documentary identified members of Kenyan security forces involved in the shooting of anti-government protesters on June 25, 2024.
Taking to his official X account on Monday, April 28, George Peter Opondo Kaluma argued that the media’s role in a democracy is too important to be discharged irresponsibly.
“BAN @BBCAfrica IN KENYA. The role played by the media in any democracy is too important to be discharged irresponsibly. The media can build greater democracy or destroy an otherwise stable state,” the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker stated.
Kaluma further argued that the 1994 Rwandan genocide could have been avoided if the media had not been reckless.
He described the BBC documentary, “Blood Parliament,” which has drawn mixed reactions, as twisted, partial, reckless, and intended to incite chaos in Kenya.
The MP is calling on Kenyan authorities to withdraw the BBC’s operational license.
“Lest we forget, the Rwandan genocide would not have occurred were it not for reckless media. ‘Blood Parliament’ documentary by @BBCAfrica is twisted, partial, reckless and intended to incite chaos in Kenya. The relevant agencies of the Government of Kenya must act fast to withdraw the @BBCAfrica licence in Kenya,” Kaluma wrote on X.
The BBC “Blood Parliament” Documentary
The 37-minute BBC exposé, released on YouTube on Monday, April 28, 2025, meticulously reconstructs the events of June 25, 2024. It employs 3D modeling, forensic video analysis, and eyewitness accounts to detail the shootings that shocked the nation.
On that day, tens of thousands of predominantly Gen Z protesters took to the streets of Nairobi to oppose the Finance Bill 2024, a controversial piece of legislation proposing new taxes.
Despite strong opposition both within and outside Parliament, the bill was passed by a vote of 195 to 106, triggering widespread outrage among demonstrators gathered outside the National Assembly.
The documentary reveals that the first fatalities occurred on Parliament Road shortly after the vote. David Chege, a 39-year-old software engineer and Sunday school teacher, and Ericsson Mutisya, a 25-year-old butcher, were fatally shot.
The BBC’s 3D reconstruction depicted the moment police advanced on protesters, with one officer kneeling and firing, resulting in the deaths of Chege and Mutisya and injuries to at least five others.
The violence escalated as protesters breached the Parliament complex, entering the chambers for the first time in Kenya’s post-independence history.
