Nairobi - Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki Friday said he had signed into law a new media bill that many fear will curtail press freedom.

The bill, which has prompted a public outcry, allows the state to raid media houses, interfere with broadcasters' programming and take stations off the air.

Kibaki said that it was important to regulate the media, but promised that the new bill did not mean that the government wished to restrict the press.

"I wish to reiterate the commitment of my government to the ideals of press freedom and democracy and assure the media and the public in general that we shall not roll back on the gains we have made in this regard," he said.

Journalists have staged several protests against the bill, many of them being arrested for their trouble, while the US embassy has issued a statement condemning it.

The government has in the past accused TV stations of inciting ethnic hatred.

The Standard newspaper and its sister TV station KTN were raided in 2006 after a series of programmes on corruption in political circles.

During the post-election violence in 2008 the government halted live broadcasts in the interests of "national security."

The bill will also make it illegal for a company or individual to own both a broadcast house and print media. Several companies fall into this category.

There is widespread public opposition to the bill, which many feel has been passed in response to a media campaign calling on MPs to pay taxes on their allowances. (dpa)