Lobbyists have hit out at police for masquerading as journalists to make arrests during protests.
Kenya Human Rights Commission, FIDA Kenya and Haki Afrika termed the move as disturbing saying it compromises the safety of journalists as they go about executing their duties.
“We are also disturbed by cases of police officers masquerading as journalists on duty to arrest protestors,” they said.
“This, from our view, is an ethical issue that compromises the gains made by the media fraternity and trusts with sources of news for proper documentation and objective reporting and putting the journalists at risk of harm while on duty.”
Others include the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, Katiba Institute, Muslims for Human Rights, Shield for Justice, Social Justice Centres Working Group, Transparency International Kenya and Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists.
In one of the incidences of impersonation, a video circulating on social media on Wednesday showed a man who was filming protests in Mathare suddenly arresting one of the protesters.
The man who was in plain clothes was seen standing near the crowd, filming using a phone before he grabbed one of the demonstrators and escorted him to a waiting police lorry.
They have further raised concern over the reported rise in the use of non-uniformed officers who in most cases are seen to use vehicles with either distorted or no number plates.
The Media Council of Kenya on Wednesday condemned the move by security officers to impersonate journalists during protests to arrest participants.
MCK CEO David Omwoyo termed this as unprofessional misconduct by the officers.
"Impersonation of journalists by the police is a grave unprofessional misconduct on the part of the police and endangering the lives of journalists in the line of duty," he said.
