Nation Journalists Attacked At Football Match

They had approached the gate of the stadium before they were accosted by...

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Jul 18, 2022 - 15:06 Updated: Sep 2, 2023 - 22:18
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Nation Journalists Attacked At Football Match
An image of the Twin Towers that hosts the Nation Media Group. /FILE

Daily Nation Sports reporter Cecil Odongo, photojournalist Tonny Omondi and driver Laban Shivogo were on Monday, July 17 attacked while they had gone to cover a National Super League (NSL) match between Muhoroni Youth and champions Administration Police Service (APS) Bomet.

The trio, working for the newspaper under the Nation Media Group (NMG), were forced to seek safety after the Muhoroni Youth chairman Moses Adagala attacked them at the Muhoroni Sub-County Stadium in Kisumu County, moments before the game.

They had approached the gate of the stadium before they were accosted by Adagala who was in the company of youths who had appeared intoxicated.

Muhoroni Youth chairman Moses Adagala speaks during a past press conference. /DAILY NATION

"We are not allowing any journalists inside. The rights to this game have been sold. You either leave or we show you this is Muhoroni," he vowed, with the youth ready to descend upon them with yelling.

Shivogo, in fear of their lives, tried to escape by reversing the car before racing along the road at a supersonic speed with the youths in hot pursuit.

Muhoroni Youth had required maximum points from that game to keep alive their hopes of securing promotion to next season's Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL).

The stadium has been known to be a hostile ground for visiting teams in the NSL due to harassment from goons linked to the football administrator.

So dire is the situation that APS Bomet had arrived at the venue accompanied by a contingent of police officers in a lorry late for the 3 pm kick-off.

The brazen incident was reminiscent of a similar one where NTV journalist Zacchaeus Mwasame was attacked by goons on Sunday, November 7, at Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega County while covering a match between Kakamega Homeboyz and Bandari FC.

In the midst of the chaos that broke out at the tail-end of the game after Kakamega Homeboyz lost a 93rd-minute penalty against the away team, Mwasame was recording a confrontation between one of the Bandari FC players and the referee of the match when he was attacked by Homeboyz fans who ignored his press card.

The culprit, Bernard Isindu Shitiabayi alias Ben Kelly, was apprehended by detectives who relied on an amateur video of the incident aired during the prime-time news, to track him down.

The latest incident comes days after the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) revealed in its latest report that a survey to gauge the perception of media and journalists towards the presidential candidates showed that 49 per cent feel safer working with Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

Deputy President William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza received 31 per cent backing. Only 17 per cent felt comfortable covering Roots party presidential candidate George Wajackoyah.

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