Two journalists’ organisations in Kenya and IFJ affiliates have condemned the escalation of violence on media since the beginning of the year. The Kenyan Journalists’ Union (KUJ) and the Kenyan Correspondents’ Association (KCA) organised a protest on 8 September to denounce a series of violations by security forces, including torture, harassment and assaults on journalists.
The protest came amidst a tense situation within media community in Kenya, following the death of Kilifi-based journalist Joseph Masha who collapsed and died in suspicious circumstances after meeting with a politician on the Coast.
Two other journalists, James Mburu (NTV) and Julius Kariithi (Royal Media), were violently assaulted by security guards at Kakuzi when they were covering a demonstration by Gititu Secondary School which claimed the company had grabbed the school land.
Mburu lost one camera and another was damaged. Kariithi lost a digital voice recorder and his laptop was damaged by a rungu (club). The journalists have already recorded statements with the police and the KUJ is closely monitoring progress of this case. There are growing fears that these attacks are likely to increase in the lead to the upcoming elections in Kenya.