Police attack journalists covering Miguna's return from Canada

Citizen TV reporter Stephen Letoo who was injured by police while broadcasting live the arrival of Miguna at JKIA on March 27, 2018. [Photo by Edward Kiplimo/Standard]

Police are on the spot again for brutalising journalists who had gone to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to cover Miguna Miguna's return.

The attack began moments after a police officer pointed a gun at KTN journalists Sophia Wanuna and Bonny Kirere in the full glare of the cameras. The officer that he would "deal with them perpendicularly".

The officers beat, kicked and slapped the journalists, leaving some of them injured and their equipment damaged.

Robert Gichira, a cameraman with NTV, was clobbered several times and was left writhing on the ground in pain. It took the intervention of outraged reporters, who screamed, to scare the officers away. Mr Gichira sustained deep wounds in his left arm and his camera and other equipment were damaged.

Citizen TV reporter Stephen Letoo was also beaten.

Mr Letoo complained of abdominal pain as journalists carried him to a vehicle that rushed him to hospital.

"The force police used on journalists was uncalled for. We were there to do our work and do so objectively, but the officers listened to none of that," he said.

Letoo was discharged from hospital a few hours later and announced at around 1am that he was recuperating well.

KTN journalist Sophia Wanuna stood her ground as the officer who had threatened her showed up apparently to make good his threat.

He pushed Ms Wanuna away but she politely insisted that she was only doing her work and asked the policeman to do his.

“I am only doing my work sir, do yours. Do not push me. Do not try to intimidate journalists,” she said.