Media Council urges police to probe attack on NMG journalist
Media Council of Kenya Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo during the release of the Media Monitoring and Research Report on Media Performance on election campaign reporting, held at Boma Inn Hotel in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County on June 24, 2022.
The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has called upon the police to speedily investigate attacks on journalists as political temperatures increase ahead of the August 9 elections.
This comes a few days after Nation Media Group journalist Ian Byron was assaulted by unknown people on Sunday, July 10, at Kakrao shopping centre in Migori County.
In a statement released on July 12, CEO David Omwoyo said the attack comes a few days after the journalist reported being harassed by people following the publication of a story he had written relating to Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, who complained about it.
“We urge the police to investigate the Sunday incident reported at Migori Police Station under OB No. 28/10/7/2022 with a view to prosecuting the assailants,” Mr Omwoyo noted.
MCK noted with concern rising cases of assaults on journalists.
“The more than 50 (incidents) and press freedom violations in the form of profiling, denial of access, harassment and intimidation, both online and offline is a threat to media freedom,” Mr Owoyo said.
“The Council calls upon any party aggrieved by the work of journalists to direct the complaints to the Media Complaints Commission. The safety and security of journalists and media practitioners is a collective responsibility and goes beyond individual media houses and or editors as provided under the UN Action Plan on safety and Impunity Against Journalists.”
The MCK also called upon the media industry to have solidarity and support colleagues in distress.
Recent studies have also shown that journalists in Kenya are highly discredited, assaulted, harassed and even intimidated in their day-to-day work, with little done to protect them despite the progress made by the Kenyan media, especially in the digital space.
Press freedom
The World Press Freedom Index 2021 and African Media Barometer reports indicate that journalists globally continued to face multiple challenges.
These included intimidation, physical or online harassment, surveillance, forced disappearance, threats, arbitrary arrests, assaults, and a lack of access to public facilities, authorities or data.
A September 2020 report published by Article 19, a human rights organisation that promotes freedom of expression, indicated that at least 48 journalists had been attacked or kept from doing their work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the recently released Inter-Media Safety Charter for media owners, managers and editors by the media industry, media enterprises, owners, employers, managers and editors bear the greatest responsibility for ensuring effective and practical protection for free speech as well as the safety of journalists and media practitioners.
“Attacks against journalists because of their work violates Articles 33, 34 and 35 of the Constitution,” Mr Omwoyo said.
