Media Council of Kenya condemns harassment of Wajir journalists, calls for action

The Media Council of Kenya has called for action against unnecessary interference and harassment following a complaint lodged by journalists based in Wajir.

In a letter addressed to the Wajir County Assembly Speaker, the Council responded to an incident that occurred on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, during a special sitting of the Wajir County Assembly to debate the County Finance Bill 2024. Journalists reported being denied access to the assembly chambers and forcibly evicted by assembly security and uniformed police officers.

The Media Council also cited two other incidents: one on March 20, 2023, during the handover of cholera kits to the Wajir County government by the World Health Organisation, and another on March 30, 2023, at Jogbaru Primary School during the launch of the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) policy.

In the latter, a Wajir-based journalist, Mohamed Abdullahi, was blocked from covering the event and allegedly subjected to harassment.

"The Council is greatly concerned about these allegations, which border on violations of the Kenyan Constitution under Articles 3 and 35 on freedom of expression, access to information, and freedom of the media under Article 34," reads the letter.

The statement, signed by CEO and Secretary to the Council, David Omwoyo, and copied to Florence Kajuju, Chairperson of the Commission on Administrative Justice, urged Wajir County Speaker Abdille Yussuf to take corrective measures to ensure that accredited journalists are properly facilitated with the information they require while doing their work, without unnecessary interference and harassment.

The incident where journalist Nurdin Elmoge of NTV was mishandled at the Wajir County Assembly was captured on video.