Media practitioners demand for prosecution of rogue cops as NPS allege of misinformation

The media practitioners have called for the prosecution of rogue police officers involved in human right abuses including those captured on camera staging blatant attack against journalists during the recent protests witnessed across the country that sparked widespread outrage nationally and internationally.

The Media Council of Kenya Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Omwoyo sustained the call for accountability in a dialogue forum convened in Naivasha yesterday even as government decried what it termed as misinformation.

Omwoyo condemned attacks against journalists affirming the critical place of media in democracy and governance.

Speaking during the government and media Leaders Dialogue, Omwoyo said the press had recorded twenty-four recorded cases of police brutality against journalists.

“We have 24 cases recorded and reported of journalist attacks by police. We haven’t seen any prosecution as yet. Investigations are either ongoing or evidence gathering.” Omwoyo said.

However, the National Police (NPS) Spokesperson Resilla Onyango defended the service decrying misinformation about law enforcement especially during riotous situations and relationship with the media.

“The relationship with the media is under the police service standing orders and is taken very seriously.” She stated.

“Police officers do not target the media and when this happens they have to be investigated by the Internal Affairs Unit and Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).”

The spokesperson however assured of action for any violations.

“Nobody is above the law. Let us not vilify the entire police force when a few officers make mistakes.”

“We need to stop branding the media as being anti-government while the media should also play its rightful role within the prescribed standards. The media industry pursues a common goal and we need to work together. There must be a framework of engagement between media and government in order to create impact based on our respective mandates.” Omwoyo added.

He said there is need of developing a mechanism for editors and government to constantly dialogue in order to improve relations.

He called for “common ground between government and media and not blame games as both need each other for the good of the country.”

On her part, Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) President Zubeidah Kananu said editors will remain relentless in calling for an end to attacks and threats against journalists’ despite.

She protested the lack of substantial progess amid heightened violence against journalists.

“We nevertheless hope that appropriate action [will be] taken against those attacking journalists. At the same time, the media industry needs to align ethical conduct with the current times.” She said.

The forum came against the backdrop of attacks on journalists during the Gen-Z protests intensified as several journalists sustained injuries of varying magnitudes.

Yesterday, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Oding called for the need to uphold the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and the protection of journalists’ rights which he descried as fundamental to Kenya’s democracy.

“These actions are not only unacceptable but also a direct violation of the rights enshrined in our constitution.” He said.