A total of 24 journalists were attacked and injured by police during demonstrations by Gen Z, according to the Media Council of Kenya.
While condemning the attacks, the council called for speedy investigations and prosecution of the officers involved.
MCK CEO David Omwoyo said cases of police brutality against journalists in the line of duty continue to be recorded across the country.
Omwoyo called on the Ipoa, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Inspector General of Police to expedite investigations bring perpetrators to justice.
Speaking in Naivasha during a media stakeholder’s roundtable, Omwoyo said there was a need to strengthen government-media relations, enhance safety of journalists and serve justice to attacked journalists.
Radio Africa Group head of content Paul Ilado representing Kenya Editors Guild called on the actors in the justice system to speed up investigations to enable prosecutions of identified perpetrators of violence against journalists.
Ilado said the recent anti-government demonstrations exposed clear violations of press freedom, where media personnel were physically attacked in full glare of cameras by police officers.
"We want to see clear actions and evidence of commitment by relevant government agencies to act on identified cases in order to serve justice to our colleagues who were attacked in line of duty," he said.
At the same time Ilado decried financial constraints facing media houses that have led to closures, delayed salaries for journalists and mass layoffs.
He said there was a need to find sustainable solutions to the financial challenges facing media companies to ensure they survive so that journalism plays its key mandate of holding the government into account.
Ilado called on the government to protect media houses from the skewed competition posed by big tech companies that continue to deny them advertisement billions.
The chairperson of the Media Complaints Commission Demus Kiprono said journalists performing their duties must be recognised and protected from harm. Abuses meted on them must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to book.
Kiprono said media freedom is established and guaranteed by Article 34 of the constitution, which makes journalism a cornerstone of democracy.
He said since the recent reconstitution of the commission board, eight complainants have been received touching on violations of media freedom and they will deploy mediation to resolve all the issues.
