Media organisations have condemned the assault on journalists covering the Ol Kalou Constituency by-election in Nyandarua County on Thursday, demanding investigations after several reporters were attacked and their equipment confiscated while documenting the voting exercise.
In separate statements, the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) and Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) said the incidents at the AC Primary School polling station posed a serious threat to press freedom and called for swift action against those responsible.
According to MCK, The Star photojournalist Enos Teche was covering a confrontation between residents and occupants of three vehicles when armed and masked men, believed to be plainclothes police officers, emerged, fired shots into the air and used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
MCK said Teche was assaulted after the men demanded his camera and confiscated the equipment. He sustained an injury to his hand and later recorded a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Ol Kalou.
The council also highlighted another incident involving Nation Media Group (NMG) journalist Brygettes Ngana and her cameraperson, who were allegedly assaulted and had their camera confiscated at gunpoint.
“These continued attacks and impunity against journalists must come to an end, and the perpetrators held legally accountable,” MCK Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo said in a statement, adding that the incidents amounted to an obstruction of the public’s right to information.
“Freedom of the media is guaranteed under Article 34 of the Constitution. Journalists must be allowed to carry out their professional duties without intimidation, harassment or violence,” Editors Guild President Zubeidah Kananu said.
The condemnations came a day after the Kenya Media Sector Working Group (KMSWG), a coalition of media organisations, warned of a deteriorating environment for media freedom as Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Election.
The Editors Guild described the timing of the attacks as alarming and called for immediate action against those responsible.
“The Guild calls upon Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to immediately institute thorough, independent and transparent investigations into these attacks. Every individual involved, regardless of rank or affiliation, must be identified, arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” the Editors Guild said.
“We further call upon the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to closely monitor the investigations where police officers may be implicated and ensure that justice is neither delayed nor denied.”
KUJ said violence against media workers threatens Kenya’s democratic institutions, adding that the targeting of journalists covering the Ol Kalou by-election was part of a worrying pattern of intimidation against reporters documenting political events.
“We wish to state that journalists will not succumb to intimidation from the sponsors of anarchy. We will profile and expose enemies of Kenya who believe violence in our politics is the way to go,” said KUJ Secretary General Erick Oduor.
Comments
Sign in with Google to comment, reply, and like comments.
Continue with Google