Press freedom under attack as police force journalists to delete protest images
Last week alone, several journalists were assaulted and their equipment confiscated before they were forced to delete images and footage they had recorded.
Across the capital city, journalists are facing a disturbing resurgence of police harassment, with officers not just blocking coverage but actively erasing evidence.
Last week alone, several journalists were assaulted and their equipment confiscated before they were forced to delete images and footage they had recorded in the two protests that happened on Wednesday and Sunday.
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One of the victims Justine Ondieki, a photographer at The Eastleigh Voice, recounted how he had just arrived in the Majengo area where there were day-long protests over the shooting of the Ibrahim Ramadhan Chege, a 17-year-old teenager from Kamukunji, the previous night.
"They asked me who I was and I told them, and showed them my press card which I had worn over my neck. Immediately, they claimed I was taking images of them and started assaulting me with blows and kicks. Then one suggested that they confiscate my camera, and they did as they ordered me to sit down next to their vehicle," the journalist recalls.
Ondieki adds that at that moment, he began making calls to report his situation but the officers also confiscated his phone and started calling him an activist.
"Thereafter, a senior officer ordered them to shift locations and I approached him to request for my confiscated items. The senior officer walked with me to where the rest of the officers were standing in a group, requested that my items be handed back to me but demanded that I delete the images I had and I did. Then they let me go," he says.
Having arrived just a few moments before his camera was confiscated, the journalist says he had nothing incriminating against the cops.
The Media Council of Kenya's CEO David Omwoyo noted that NMG's Fridah Okachi, Dennis Onsongo and Leah Wambui Kurema were similarly assaulted and their footage was forcefully deleted from their cameras.
"These violations of press freedom contravene the constitutional rights guaranteed to journalists and go against the journalists' rights and privileges protected by law under the 2010 constitution and the Media Council Act, 2013," he said.
On his part, Police Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga would later release a statement after the assault clips went viral on social media, condemning the incidents and claiming that a probe into the officers' misconduct had kicked off.
"The attention of the National Police Service has been drawn to a photograph circulating both mainstream and social media, which alleges that police officers interfered with journalists performing their duties today. As a service, we are gravely concerned and strongly condemn such misconduct. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation," he said.
Cordial relationship
He then reiterated the service's commitment to maintaining a cordial relationship with the media and promoting press freedoms as well as the safety of individual journalists in line with the law and international standards.
But even before the matter could rest, a similar occurrence happened to other journalists covering the protest that day and repeated itself on Sunday in Roysambu where police were guarding against a planned protest against Jesus Winner Ministry church. It was to show condemnation to its leadership for accepting a Sh20 million donation from the President amidst calls for austerity.
The act of confiscating journalists' equipment signifies that tactics once thought to belong to a bygone era are creeping back, threatening press freedom in ways both blatant and insidious.
"I am not aware of the Kasarani incident but generally, our position is very clear. The National Police Service works closely with the media. We share the same space and must collaborate," Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja told journalists in Thika moments after the incident happened in Roysambu.
The trend, if not checked, could spell doom for media practitioners in the country as they perform their duties of informing the public.
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