Bring journalist attack suspects to book now

When journalists held peaceful demonstrations in Nairobi over attacks on colleagues. [File, Standard]

The important role of journalism in any society cannot be overstated. Journalists work hard every day to provide people with accurate information which they can use to make important decisions.

They also strive to hold those in power accountable, sometimes by conducting investigations to unearth the dark side of those who wield power.

Needless to say, those involved in corruption and other ugly deeds are unamused when journalists turn the spotlight on them, and some of them attack and even kill journalists in order to silence them.

We have seen police officers turning their truncheons in broad daylight on journalists going about their work during public demonstrations such as the ones called by the Opposition early this year.

Journalists, such as Francis Kaunda Nyaruri have even been killed. Mr Nyaruri disappeared after he wrote a story about the quality of materials used to roof a police station in Nyamira County. Nyaruri's body was discovered 13 days later and dumped in Kodera Forest.

Unfortunately, the case against suspects in this foul murder collapsed after dragging on in court for eight years over lack of evidence.

That is not the only case involving journalists that the police had failed to investigate thoroughly. In fact, many investigations of police brutality against journalists have been shoddy.

Since 2015, only about one per cent of cases of journalists attacked by police have been investigated and to make it worse, there is no evidence whether any punitive action was taken against those found culpable.

Perhaps this is a result of the folly of expecting police officers to investigate themselves.

But nevertheless, we must get out of this quagmire. We must ensure that anyone accused of attacking journalists - now or decades ago - is brought to book. This is because an attack on a journalist is an attack on democracy.

A nation that tolerates or even encourages attacks against journalists cannot qualify to be a democracy. It is an autocracy.