The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has announced countrywide protests set to take place on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in response to recent attacks on media personalities and threats to press freedom by the police.
In a statement shared on Monday, July 22, 2024, KUJ outlined several grievances that journalists want addressed, including the demand for press freedom, the safety of journalists, and unrestricted access to information.
On Friday, July 19, 2024, KUJ emphasized the union’s determination to stand up against the government’s stance on media freedom.
“On Wednesday, we will be on the streets to remind the government that the media has a voice and will not relent. We are here to prove that we have challenges that need to be addressed,” KUJ stated.
Adding;
“We have a government that believes that freedom of the media should be taken away. They stated clearly when taking over that they don’t like the media. Media exists to inform the members of the public.”
The media protests come after attacks meted on journalists following the recent anti-government protests.
One notable attack on media was when a Kameme TV reporter was shot three times by the police while covering the demos in Nakuru County on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
Another instance was when veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho was abducted inside the Karen police station.
According to Anita Gaitho, her father, journalist Macharia Gaitho, was forcibly taken by unidentified abductors who roughed him up before taking him away in a Toyota Probox with the registration number KBC 725 J.
Macharia had driven to Karen police station after noticing he was being followed.
“I’m with my dad @MachariaGaitho. He’s just been brought to Karen police station by the car that abducted him. He’s safe although they roughed him up a bit. We’re making the abduction report right now,” Anita reported on X on Wednesday, July 17, 2024,
She added that the abductors claimed to be from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and carried guns and handcuffs, but refused to identify themselves.
The National Police Service (NPS) later issued a statement explaining that Macharia Gaitho had been mistakenly arrested instead of their actual target, Francis Gaitho. The NPS stated,
“The National Police Service would like to clarify to the public that this morning, we arrested journalist Macharia Gaitho in a case of mistaken identity, meant for the arrest of Francis Gaitho who is our subject of investigation.”
Nakuru journalists protest
On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, bearing placards with messages like “reject killer police”, “justice for Cate” and “do not kill the messenger”, journalists in Nakuru took to the streets to protest the shooting of Wanjeri by police.