The Crime Journalists Association of Kenya (CJAK) has strongly condemned what they say is escalating harassment, threats, and violence meted out against journalists by police officers, as witnessed on Thursday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.
During the incident, several journalists from top media houses in Kenya were at the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road to cover the grilling of Kiambu County Senator Karungo Thangw’a, summoned over chaos at an event in Limuru.
A peaceful exercise turned hostile when plain-cloth police officers attacked members of the press. Citizen TV’s videographer and features reporter Agnes Oloo was physically wrestled, by a police officer who is heard threatening to destroy her camera, citing claims of being filmed without consent.
TV47 reporter William Moige was also harassed, with his phone confiscated and police demanding that he deletes footage.
“These incidents were unfortunate and uncalled for. We condemn them in no uncertain terms,”CJAK said in a statement.
The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, would later apologized for the incident, describing the officer involved as “overzealous.” Similarly, the DCI Director, Mohamed Amin, has termed it “an isolated case.”
“CJAK strongly disagrees. This incident is neither isolated nor unprecedented. Instead, it is part of a deliberate and systematic pattern of harassment, intimidation, and impunity targeting journalists, which has escalated over the past two years,” CJAK adds.
During the recent anti-tax protests, journalist Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki was shot four times by a police officer while covering the demonstrations in Nakuru. “This incident, which CJAK unequivocally describes as an attempted murder, exemplifies the extent of impunity within the police service. Despite clear evidence, no action has been taken against the officer responsible for this life-threatening assault.”
CJAK says that one of its members, Nation’s Hillary Kimuyu, was summoned by the DCI and threatened with criminal charges unless he revealed the source of a story about the mismanagement of a PSV insurer on the brink of collapse.
“Journalists are constitutionally protected from revealing their sources, a cornerstone of investigative reporting. The confiscation of Kimuyu’s phone under the guise of “further investigations” is not only a violation of his rights but also an attack on press freedom.”
During the opposition’s anti-tax protests, multiple journalists were assaulted, beaten, and threatened by alleged police. CJAK rues that these actions, coupled with the confiscation and destruction of equipment, have created a climate of fear, undermining journalists’ ability to carry out their duties safely.
Consequently, CJAK is now demanding that all officers involved in the harassment, violence, and intimidation of journalists, including those at the DCI headquarters and during protests, must face disciplinary and legal consequences.
CJAK also wants concrete reforms among Kenya’s security agencies. “Both the Inspector General and the DCI Director must back their apologies with actionable steps to end systemic harassment of journalists.”
Additionally, CJAK wants unresolved cases, including the shooting of Catherine Wanjeri, to be revisited, and those responsible held accountable.
Finally, CJAK wants confiscated equipment, such as Hillary Kimuyu’s phone, returned immediately, and such unlawful practices must be prohibited.
