Kenyan Police Accused of Widespread Violence and Impunity as RSF Demands Justice for Targeted Journalists

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned multiple incidents of police violence against journalists in Kenya, demanding immediate accountability and disciplinary action against officers responsible.

Over seven weeks of anti-government protests—including rallies against alleged brutality, corruption, and the death of blogger Albert Ojwang—journalists faced a harrowing pattern of intimidation: rubber-bullet shootings, tear-gassing, arbitrary arrests, and equipment destruction.

A notable victim, Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki of Kameme TV, was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet during a July 16 protest in Nakuru. She stated, “This policeman tried to kill me,” asserting she was clearly targeted while wearing her press jacket. Despite this evidence, the shooter remains unidentified, and no formal charges have been filed.

Meanwhile, Macharia Gaitho, of the Daily Nation, was forcibly detained on July 17 in Nairobi’s Karen district. Kidnapped by plainclothes officers and beaten into an unmarked vehicle, he was later released with the police attributing it to a “case of mistaken identity”. Gaitho firmly rejects this claim.

Further incidents include four journalists—Justine Ondieki, Leah Kurema, Dennis Onsongo, and Enos Teche—who were physically assaulted, dragged out of vehicles, beaten, forced to delete footage, and had cameras destroyed while covering a demonstration in Majengo, Nairobi on March 5.

RSF emphasizes that these acts are not isolated. They documented six major cases of violence during protests, compounded by impunity: police rarely identify or discipline perpetrators, despite video evidence. This lack of accountability, says RSF, violates press freedom and undermines democratic values.

RSF has referred these cases to Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), urging proper investigations and public reporting of findings. They insist that perpetrators be named and prosecuted, and that systemic reforms are implemented to protect journalists in the field.

Amid nationwide protests sparked by Ojwang’s death in custody, RSF warns that targeting journalists is part of a broader culture of repression. They call on the Kenyan government to restore trust by safeguarding the press and ensuring perpetrators within the security forces face justice.