KUJ demanded that action be taken against the police officer responsible for injuring the scribe in what the union indicated was a targeted attack.
The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has vowed to take to court the police officer accused of shooting Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki, a K24 reporter based in Nakuru, on Tuesday, July 16, while covering the anti-government protests in the Central Business District (CBD).
KUJ, in a strong-worded statement released and signed by its secretary general Erick Oduor, condemned the incident which saw Wanjeri shot in her thigh three times, with preliminary reports revealing that one of the bullets was lodged in her thigh.
A video seen by Viral Tea showed her writhing in pain as Kenyans attended to the journalist who could barely move owing to the impact of the bullet. The journalist who was accompanying her also sustained critical injuries.
Kariuki could be spotted holding onto her leg as she crawled on the ground in pain with blood stains on the upper part of the leg.
Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) Secretary-General, Eric Oduor speaking to the press on June 30, 2024. /KUJ
In response, the KUJ demanded that action be taken against the police officer responsible for injuring the scribe in what the union indicated was a targeted attack.
“Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) condemns in the strongest terms possible, the shooting of a journalist during the anti-government protests in Nakuru. Catherine Kariuki of Mediamax Limited is nursing a gunshot injury at a Nakuru hospital after she was shot by a rogue police officer, in what her colleagues said was a targeted attack.
“We demand action against the trigger-happy police officer who targeted journalists who had been deployed by media houses to inform Kenyans. Such barbaric acts have no place in a democratic society like Kenya, where journalists are required to play the role of watchdog and source of credible information to citizens,” the statement, released on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, read in part.
KUJ demanded that the Independent Policing Oversight (IPOA) probe the officers involved as well as narrow down on who gave the orders to fire the journalist, threatening to pursue legal means themselves if the authority does not heed their demands.
“The Independent Policing Oversight (IPOA) must investigate the officer involved and the source of orders to shoot journalists within seven days and prosecute the suspect, failure to which we will institute private prosecution of the officer involved and the commander of the Nakuru operation,” the statement added.
Other bodies such as the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) and the Kenya Editors’ Guild (KEG) also condemned the incident, alongside other cases of brutality on journalists covering protests, and called for speedy investigations on the matter.
KEG disclosed that in Nairobi, police sprayed CNN photojournalist, Fabien Muhire as he went about his work in the Central Business District (CBD).
Former Member of Parliament, Gitobu Imanyara, was also among the public figures who came out to condemn the police for injuring Wanjeri. Imanyara, a firebrand activist during President Daniel Arap Moi’s reign, said the shooting of the journalist constituted a war crime.
Viral Tea‘s editor-in-chief, Marvin Chege, while condemning the incident, poked holes at the statements by MCK, KEG and Mediamax itself among others in response to the incidents.
“We need to see these bodies follow KUJ’s example and take action on their own instead of continuing to rely on government agencies to get to the bottom of the matter. Condemning an incident is not enough anymore, heads must roll because this matter directly affects their industry,” he stated.
Following the incident, a rescue team quickly rushed to the scene and performed first aid on the journalist before rushing her to Valley Hospital in Nakuru Town.
The journalist reportedly passed out while being lifted on the motorbike by fellow media personnel who rushed her to the hospital where she received treatment.
At the time of publishing this article, Wanjeri left the operating theatre at the Nakuru PGH Annex Hospital and is in stable condition and in high spirits. We are told that the doctor will issue more details to the family in due course.
