By Duncan Miriri

NAIROBI, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Kenyan media, ordered by the government to halt live broadcasting during an election crisis, are censoring the opposition while still covering government activities, the head of the industry's association complained.

The government imposed an indefinite ban on all live TV and radio broadcasts on Sunday as violent protests raged over disputed polls that returned President Mwai Kibaki to power and triggered ethnic riots killing some 250 people.

"I wish to express my disgust with how some of my members have handled the live ban," Hannington Gaya, chairman of Kenya's 20-member Media Owners' Association, said late on Tuesday.

He said some members applied the law "selectively", stopping coverage of Ralia Odinga's opposition Orange Democratic Movement while continuing to cover Kibaki's Party of National Unity.

"I don't think it augurs well for the free media," he told Reuters.

He named state broadcaster KBC and a privately-owned channel, K24, as being among the culprits.

The head of news of K24, John Mwenda, rejected the charge: "We have done our best to be balanced. It is really a matter of his (Gaya's) perception and how people want to see things."

He said his station aired more stories about Kibaki's party because it was more active after the ban than the opposition.

Kenya's top TV channels by audience, NTV, KTN and Citizen, have all abandoned live feeds for the time being -- a technology that had started to be used more widely during the campaigns.

But a journalist working for one of the three stations said the government ban was not a big threat to their work.

"Knowing what is going on around the country, I don't want to take the blame for something that I let go on air irresponsibly," said the reporter, who asked not to be named.

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the authorities had not put any limit on content, just forced a delay, and were determined to ensure freedom of speech was protected.

"But as you are aware, there are ongoing skirmishes across the country that have to be contained, and it is essential not to perpetuate them through incitement," he said.

Paris-based media watchdog Reporters without Borders has condemned the move as "dangerous and counter-productive".

"The news blackout could result in the streets being ruled by rumour and disinformation," it said on Monday. "It imposes a climate intimidation and plunges the country into confusion." (Editing by Daniel Wallis and Richard Balmforth)

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