NAIROBI,Kenya July 16 – The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has condemned what it described as targeted attacks against journalists covering the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, accusing security agencies of failing to protect media workers and demanding immediate action against those responsible.

📻 Breaking It Down

In a statement issued on Thursday, MCK said the assaults and confiscation of media equipment by armed men during the by-election were not isolated incidents but part of a worrying pattern aimed at intimidating journalists and undermining press freedom.

“The Council views these continued attacks as more than isolated press freedom violations, but deliberately orchestrated security actions aimed at intimidating media workers into censorship and fear, thereby denying the public their right to accountable and peaceful electoral participation,” the statement said.

MCK argued that the attacks amounted to “a direct attack on press freedom, an obstruction of the public’s right to information and an affront to Kenya’s constitutional order.”

📌 What You Need to Know

Among the journalists attacked was The Star photojournalist Enos Teche, who was covering a confrontation between residents and occupants of three vehicles in Ol Kalou town when armed, masked men reportedly descended on the scene.

According to MCK, the attackers fired gunshots into the air and lobbed teargas canisters to disperse members of the public before turning on the journalist.

The men allegedly demanded Teche’s camera before assaulting him and forcibly confiscating the equipment. He sustained injuries to his hand during the attack and later recorded a statement at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCIO) offices in Ol Kalou.

In a separate incident, Nation Media Group journalist Brygettes Ngana and her cameraperson were allegedly assaulted by suspected plainclothes police officers while covering the election.

MCK said the officers, whose identities had not yet been confirmed, confiscated the crew’s camera without explanation.

The council said the attacks highlighted growing risks facing journalists covering elections and warned that continued impunity threatened media freedom and the public’s right to receive independent information during democratic processes.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya