Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) The Kenyan government continued to defy a court order to put four private television stations back on the air, escalating political tensions as the media blackout enters a fifth day Saturday.

Government officials shut down CitizenTV, InooroTV, KTN and NTV, during a live broadcast of an opposition gathering in the capital of Nairobi on Tuesday.

Such media censorship has not been not seen in Kenya for years, although the channels continued to stream online.

A court ordered the government Thursday to restore all transmissions immediately pending a February 14 court hearing challenging the government's media blackout.

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