Saturday, June 29, 2024 - A Citizen TV journalist was on Friday night attacked by unknown assailants who left him with body injuries.
The Citizen TV news producer, Paul Kariuki Gatere was
attacked and harmed by armed and unknown individuals believed to be police
officers, while he was heading to work at Royal Media Services along Maalim
Juma Road in Kilimani District, Nairobi City.
According to police reports, Gatere was attacked by a group
of armed men who alighted from a private car along Chaka Road in Nairobi.
Gatere said in his police statement that the gang waylaid
him and shoved him in their car and drove him towards Uhuru Park in Nairobi’s Central
Business District, where they assaulted and harmed him using blunt objects. The
attackers forcefully robbed him of his phone and other valuables before fleeing
the s“The attackers accused me of producing a biased TV political show on
Citizen TV on June 26 when I hosted Kiambu County Woman Representative Gathoni
Wamuchomba for a live TV interview to talk about cases of extrajudicial
killings in Kenya,” he said during an interview after his discharge from
hospital where he was rushed for treatment.
The Citizen TV News Producer added that the attackers whom
he believes were police officers due to the weapons they carried, also warned
him against hosting opposition MPs on TV to talk about cases of extra-judicial
killings.
He further stated that he already reported the incident to a
police station and he’s hopeful the suspects will be arrested.
“I’m hopeful I’ll get justice once those behind my attack
are arrested, but I’ll remain unbowed on my role as a journalist and keeping
Kenyans informed,” Gatere added.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and raised
concerns about escalating violence against media professionals in Kenya.
Attacks on journalists in Kenya have been steadily
increasing, especially during protests and public events.
Earlier in June 2024, anonymous fliers threatened
journalists working at Royal Media Services, prompting condemnation from the
Kenya Editors’ Guild and the Media Owners Association.
Media practitioners in Kenya have strongly condemned the rising trend of attacks targeting journalists in the line of duty.
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| Citizen TV News Producer, Paul Gatere nursing his injuries after armed and unknown people believed to be security officers abducted and harmed him while on his way to work at Royal Media Services on June 28, 2024 |
The Kenya Editors’ Guild has termed these threats as an
assault on the constitutional guarantees of media freedom. These sentiments
were echoed by the Media Owners Association, which went ahead to call for
speedy investigations into these attacks and for collaboration to create a safe
environment for journalists.
The Media Owners Association insisted that journalists must
be able to work without fear of intimidation or physical harm. The statement
further challenging any individual or entity dissatisfied with media coverage
to seek recourse through established channels such as the Media Council of
Kenya.
They are calling for speedy investigations into the attacks
on journalists and for the government to ensure the safety and security of all
journalists covering the Gen-Z protests and other public events. They also
emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to safeguard freedom of
expression and press freedom.
This comes despite an assurance by government spokesman
Isaac Mwaura that the government is not at war with the media.
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