It's more likely jamming the GSM signal than the base stations option. You see, parliament has good GSM coverage everywhere due to it's location - I suppose.

But again, what matters is the action, not the method used. It's an undesirable action in this time and age. And it's worrying enough that this same action is very likely to be replicated in 2017 in certain areas....

On 21 December 2016 at 20:25, Alex Watila via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

I am curious if they blocked gsm or just turned off the base stations that served that area.

Regards,

Alex

-----Original Message-----
From: kictanet [mailto:kictanet-bounces+awatila=yahoo.co.uk@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Tony White via kictanet
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 7:59 AM
To: awatila@yahoo.co.uk
Cc: Tony White <tony.mzungu@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Internet, phones blocked as House debates election laws - Politics and policy

Technology to locally disable gsm devices has been available commercially for a long time, and is typically used in some countries in areas you are asked not to use mobile phones, such as cinemas. I'm not sure if this tech is legal here. Advice from CA is needed.

I am guessing, but I think the reported blocking of 'internet' was only via gsm, and was blocked as a consequence of blocking the gsm devices.

Whether such localised blocking of communications is permissible is debatable, but it certainly gives cause for concern.

I think clear direction is needed ahead of August 2017

Cheers,
Tony

On 21/12/2016, Ali Hussein via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> Listers
>
> Security personal yesterday blocked the internet, phones in and around
> parliament buildings during a special session to discuss the budget
> and amendments to the electoral law to allow for alternative manual
> transmission of electoral results in the event the electronic systems fail.
>
> Read on:-
> http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Internet--phones-blocked-as-House-d
> ebates-election-laws/539546-3493404-item-0-l9ge6u/index.html
>
> A few weeks ago we discussed this issue of shutting down communication
> channels during crises across African countries.
>
> Well now you have your answer.
>
> If the government can shut down parliamentarians imagine what they can
> do to the rest of the country.
>
>
> Ali Hussein
> Principal
> Hussein & Associates
> +254 0713 601113
>
> Twitter: @AliHKassim
> Skype: abu-jomo
> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>
>
> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking
> what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi
>
> Sent from my iPad

--
Tony White

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"Oh, the cruft."