Kenyan journalists took to the streets on September 8 to
demonstrate against what they called continued and increased harassment,
threats, assault and intimidation.
Waving placards and chanting solidarity slogans, the
journalists marched through various streets in Nairobi, Nakuru, Murang’a nd
Nyeri.
On September 21, they did the same in Mombasa and presented
their petitions to various duty bearers.
Since then, journalists have continued to present their case
loudly and clearly that indeed, the profession is under siege due to a number
of factors.
First, there is lethargy from the State when it comes to
resolving reported hostile incidents targeting journalists.
Such incidents include criminal intimidation, stalking,
physical harassment, aggressive bullying, physical assaults, death threats and
even targeted assassinations that have been on the increase since 2013.
Despite the fact that all this attracts various convictions
within the Criminal Procedure Code, they have unfortunately dragged on and in
some cases, no convictions have been obtained due to shoddy investigations.
Second, the protests sought to sensitive the public that
every attack on a professional journalist is an attack not just against the
profession but the fundamental freedoms protected by the Constitution.
Third, the protests directed attention to the Government to
take action and ensure that journalists are free and safe to practice without
intimidation, coercion or any form of physical threats.
SUPPORT CAUSE
Fourth and most important, journalists sought to remind the
collective Kenyan conscience that the normalization of violence, especially
against scribes, ushers in impunity as there will no longer be a watchdog in
the form of media.