The Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) has condemned the violent assault, robbery and destruction of equipment belonging to journalists covering the homecoming of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Journalists from The Standard Group, TV47 and Citizen TV were attacked, their equipment stolen, and their vehicles vandalised.
The incident occurred on Thursday along Mombasa Road, as Gachagua's convoy made its way from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Journalists covering the event were attacked by unidentified individuals, resulting in injuries and the theft of vital equipment, including cameras and mobile phones.
In a statement issued Friday, KEG President Zubeida Kananu said this happened while police officers looked on without intervention.
“This was not an accident. The growing frequency, brazenness,and coordination of these attacks point to a systematic effort to intimidate and silence the media,” Kananu said.
The Guild warned that such violence would not stop the press from carrying out its mandate.
“Journalists will not be silenced. The truth will not be buried under fists, boots, guns or threats. The press will not retreat,” Kananu stated.
Kananu demanded urgent and decisive action from the National Police Service and the Inspector General of Police, outlining three measures.
This is the immediate arrest and prosecution of all perpetrators, personal accountability from the Inspector General for failure to protect journalists and state guarantees to ensure journalists operate without fear of violence, theft or intimidation.
Kananu noted that it had raised similar concerns before but said it would not normalise violence against the media.
“We will not allow Kenya to slide into a culture where press freedom is trampled and impunity thrives. If the state fails to act, it will stand fully exposed- not as a guardian of democracy and freedoms, but as an enabler of lawlessness and oppression,” she stated.
The organisation called the attacks a direct threat to press freedom and urged authorities to safeguard journalists as required in a democracy.
