The Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) has warned that the freedom of the press is under attack.
While condemning police brutality against Medimax journalist Catherine Wanjeri who was shot while covering the protests in Nakuru and abduction of veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho, Amwik insisted that the media should be allowed to do its work.
“These acts of violence are not only a direct attack on these journalists but an attack on the freedom of the press,” AMWIK executive director Queenter Mbori said.
She said journalists are vital in informing the public and holding power to account.
“Therefore, journalists should be allowed to do their jobs in peace and without fear of intimidation,” she stated at a press briefing.
Mbori said AMWIK remains committed to advocating for the safety and protection of journalists and their right to report freely.
Gaitho was abducted on Wednesday morning at Karen police station.
He was with his son when they were cut off by a Subaru as they left home. He then drove off into Karen Police Station where he was forcefully taken.
Video footage online captured the dramatic arrest, showing the seasoned journalist being roughed up by police before being taken to Karen police station.
The National Police Service (NPS) later clarified that they had mistaken Macharia Gaitho for a blogger named Francis Gaitho who is being sought after and “is our subject of investigation.”
On the other hand, Kameme FM and TV reporter Wanjeri wa Kariuki was allegedly shot by police on Tuesday during anti-government protests in Nakuru.
Other scribes at the scene said Kariuki was shot three times in the thigh and was taken to a private hospital for treatment.
The doctor at the health facility Kariuki was taken to have confirmed that she was shot thrice in the thighs.
Witnesses claim the police allegedly shot at the female scribe yet she was marked with a press card and jacket.