Freedom at risk: 2 journalists attacked by armed youths during rally in Homa Bay
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- AFP journalists Fred Ooko and Brian Ongoro were assaulted by armed youths while covering a rally in Homa Bay Town
- The journalists were dragged, beaten with clubs and robbed of cameras, press cards and driving licences during the attack
- The Kenya Editors Guild called on Inspector General Douglas Kanja to launch immediate investigations into the incident
Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over four years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Nairobi - The Kenya Editors Guild has strongly condemned the assault of two Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists who were attacked while on assignment in Homa Bay Town.
Kisumu-based journalists Fred Ooko and Brian Ongoro were covering the Linda Mwananchi rally when a group of armed youths descended on them.
The attackers dragged the journalists along the road, beat them with clubs and made off with their cameras, press cards, driving licences and other personal belongings.
According to the Guild, the two reporters only managed to escape further harm after a boda boda rider stepped in and came to their rescue.
Guild Calls for Immediate Investigation
In a statement, the Kenya Editors Guild described the incident as an act of deliberate intimidation aimed at silencing journalists carrying out a legitimate public duty, warning that such conduct has no place in a constitutional democracy.
The Guild cited Article 34 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom and independence of the media, and emphasised that an attack on any journalist amounts to an assault on the public's right to information and on the democratic process as a whole.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja was called upon to institute thorough, independent and transparent investigations into the attack, identify all those responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable faces prosecution.
The Guild also urged the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to exercise its mandate and ensure the investigation is handled with the gravity the situation demands.
Incident Raises Pre-Election Concerns
The Guild flagged the timing of the assault as particularly troubling, noting that Kenya is less than a year away from the 2027 General Election and that the protection of journalists must now be treated as an urgent national priority.
The statement referenced a warning issued in June by the Kenya Media Sector Working Group (KMSWG), a coalition of media organisations, which had raised the alarm over the worsening state of media freedom ahead of the elections.
The coalition had at the time called for accountability over attacks on journalists and urged both the Inspector General and IPOA to expedite outstanding investigations.
The Guild warned that repeated attacks on journalists, when perpetrators go unpunished, breed a culture of impunity that grows more dangerous over time, a situation it described as wholly incompatible with free, fair and credible elections.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.