On Wednesday, dozens of journalists took to the streets in Kenya to protest what they describe as the government’s heavy-handed tactics aimed at stifling media freedoms.
These protests come in the wake of numerous police attacks on journalists covering the anti-government demonstrations that have shaken the country for the past five weeks.
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Dressed in white and holding placards with messages such as “Journalists’ lives matter,” “Shoot not the messenger,” and “End the brutality,” journalists staged rallies in several towns and cities across Kenya.
The demonstrations were organized in response to attacks on journalists who were covering the protests against President William Ruto’s government.
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These rallies, initially sparked by Gen-Z Kenyans opposing tax increases, have escalated into violent confrontations and broader discontent with the government. According to rights groups, since the protests began on June 18, at least 50 people have been killed and over 400 wounded.
Media organizations report that journalists covering the protests have faced severe violence, including being shot at, tear-gassed, and struck with batons and water cannons, leading to a significant erosion of trust in the nation’s security forces.
“Freedom of the media and freedom of expression are on the verge of being eroded, courtesy of a rogue security apparatus,” the Kenya Editors Guild stated last week.
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In Nairobi, journalists presented a petition to police headquarters and then marched to parliament.
Erick Oduor, secretary general of the Kenya Union of Journalists, said, “We are asking for protection from the police and for them to stop shooting and attacking journalists with a lot of excessive force.”
The Media Council of Kenya, a state-funded regulator, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating relationship between the media and the government.
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In a statement released Monday, the council highlighted that what began as perceptions of biased media coverage during the 2022 general elections has escalated into a full-blown conflict, resulting in threats, coercion, and intimidation against journalists.
Kenya, often seen as a beacon of democracy in East Africa, is now facing criticism for failing to protect press freedom.
Rights groups frequently accuse Kenyan police of using excessive force and committing unlawful killings, particularly in poorer neighborhoods.
A recent ruling by a Kenyan court found that police acted unlawfully in the October 2022 killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif near Nairobi.
