KCA condemns attacks on Kenyan scribes

Apr 19, 2015

THE Kenya Correspondents Association has expressed concern over the recent attacks by General Service Unit officers on journalists

By Nicholas Wassajja

 

THE Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) has expressed concern over the recent attacks by General Service Unit (GSU) officers on journalists from Citizen TV and NTV in Tana River County in the Coast Region of Kenya. 

 

KCA said the against outrageous attacks on journalists violates human rights hence the perpetrators should be brought to book with immediate effect

 

Two journalists were on Saturday allegedly beaten by GSU officers for interviewing local residents in Tana River County who had claimed to have been attacked by the same officers.

 

The GSU personnel reportedly beat Nation TV journalist Nehemiah Okwemba and Citizen TV’s Rueben Ogachi in Bombi in the outskirts of the Agricultural Development Cooperation’s (ADC) Kulalu Galana Ranch.

 

The scribes were admitted to a hospital in Mombasa with gunshot wounds.

 

“We condemn this attack in the strongest terms possible and demand that immediate action be taken against the GSU officers. The government must uphold the constitutional provisions including that of press freedom as guaranteed in Article 34,’ William Oloo Janak the chair KCA said in a statement.

 

He said that the actions are unacceptable and an act of impunity for security officers to deliberately shoot at and injure unarmed journalists doing their legitimate duty to inform the world about what evidently was another violation of the rights of Kenyans.

 

Janak revealed that similar reports have surfaced from the Coast region, Nyanza and other conflict prone areas.

 

“We warn that the journalists’ fraternity will not accept to operate within a climate of fear when the Constitution guarantees them the right to do their work,” Janak cautioned.

 

He also urged all journalists to stand firm in doing their work and to urgently report to the association and other journalists advocacy and human rights bodies any threats and violations to enable the media fraternity mount a coordinated response to the re-emerging culture of impunity within the security forces and also within the political class and their allies in other sectors.

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