Despite the officers dispersing them with teargas, the protesting media workers kept charging at them, armed with their unbreakable wit and will as well as phones and cameras to document the entire proceedings.
With reports of police turning their brutality towards journalists covering the ‘Nane Nane’ protests, the members of the Fourth Estate staged a spontaneous protest of their own.
A video shared by independent media outlet, Africa Uncensored on Thursday, August 8 showed crowds building up outside Nation Centre along Kimathi Street in Nairobi, uttering protest cries against police officers in the opposite direction.
Despite the officers dispersing them with teargas, the protesting media workers kept charging at them, armed with their unbreakable wit and will as well as phones and cameras to document the entire proceedings.
Here is the video:
A spontaneous media protest erupted after a journalist was struck on the foot by a canister fired at close range.
Video by @tom_mukhwana. pic.twitter.com/VTUu3wzMZD
— Africa Uncensored (@AfUncensored) August 8, 2024
A section of them was seen cornering an anti-riot police officer who appeared to be holding a backpack as others fired gunshots in the air as well as tear gas canisters to quell tensions. That did little, however.
A video seen by Viral Tea showed another angle of the confrontation which resulted in the anti-riot officers lobbing teargas to scatter away the journalists, who declared a deliberate attack on them by the officers.
Some of them took to X to report that they were hit on the leg by teargas canisters fired directly at them by police, with others decrying that the police were using live bullets against them.
The attacks are evidence of occupational hazards that journalists on the field go through especially while covering volatile situations in real-time, including protests.Â
The excesses have however sparked uproar with journalists accusing police of brutalizing them even while being clearly identified through press cards and ‘PRESS’ labelled jackets, a matter which forced them to call protests of their own.
Cecilia Ngunjiri, a journalist covering Nane Nane protests, was reportedly injured by a police officer in Nairobi City. Citizen TVÂ journalist Stephen Letoo, who was also covering the protests, lamented that the officers had teargassed journalists and shared a clip of his teary eyes.
“How Police today have turned to harm journalists at the CBD is totally unacceptable. Several scribes injured,” he stated while tagging the Media Council of Kenya for action.
Other than journalists, prominent individuals such as fiery activist Kasmuel McOure took cover at the Nation Media Group (NMG) offices to avoid being arrested by police officers over participation in the ‘Nane Nane’ protests. Reports claimed that the police were intent on arresting him.
In the 11-second clip, McOure, dressed in his signature suit, is seen running towards Nation Center’s entrance and jumping over security barriers.
The activist was among hundreds of youth who turned up for the Nane Nane protests in Nairobi City, which are still ongoing by the time of publishing this story.
In preparation for the protests, however, several roadblocks were erected by police officers on main routes feeding into the city among them Waiyaki Way at Kangemi and Thika Superhighway at Safari Park.
When the youth arrived at the Central Business District (CBD), they encountered the police who lobbed teargas at them and arrested several of their colleagues.
Kasmuel McOure flees to Nation Centre to escape arrest by police during #NaneNane protests#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/4T6FXkmlkd
— Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) August 8, 2024