Journalists threaten nationwide protests over rogue police
NAIROBI, Kenya July 17 – Journalists in Kenya are considering nationwide street protests following recent incidents of police brutality against reporters covering demonstrations, along with what they describe as targeted intimidation.
The move comes after the Wednesday dramatic arrest and subsequent release of veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho, which police claimed was a case of mistaken identity.
Adding to the outrage, Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki, a correspondent for Kameme TV and radio based in Nakuru, was on Tuesday shot while reporting on protests.
The incidents have sparked widespread condemnation among media circles.
While condemning the incidents, Kenya Editors Guild President Zubeida Kananu stated that the government must safeguard journalists’ rights and freedoms.
Calling for accountability over Gaitho’s mistaken identity, Kananu warned that if no action is taken within seven days, journalists will take to the streets to protest against the ongoing threats they face.
“If push comes to shove, we will be left with no option but to protest on the streets because it now appears that that is the language that the government understands,” she said.
Kananu alleged that both incidents were part of the government’s efforts to intimidate and silence journalists who inform the public sentiments which were supported by the Kenya Union of Journalists Secretary General Eric Oduor.
“We will not be silenced because the law protects us and we will continue to do our work,” Oduor said.
In Nakuru, Journalists took to the streets to peacefully protest the shooting of Wanjeri as they demanded justice for her.
Armed with placards, whistles, and vuvuzelas, the chanting journalists walked through Kenyatta Avenue and gathered outside Nakuru Central Police Station.
Wanjeri was covering the antigovernment protests within Nakuru City Central Business District when she was shot three times in the thigh.
She was admitted to the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital Annex and underwent surgery to remove the three rubber bullets that were lodged in her left thigh.
Wanjeri had a media jacket, and a press card and held a branded microphone at the time of her shooting.
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