Police, DCI Respond After Detective Captured Assaulting Citizen TV Journalist

Inspector-General of Police, Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohamed Amin announced on Thursday, December 5 that the National Police Service (NPS) took action on an incident where a detective was captured allegedly assaulting Citizen TV  journalist Agnes Oloo during a live coverage.

The incident, captured and shared by Citizen TV anchor Ayub Abdikadir, revealed that the officer had grabbed onto Oloo's camera, trying to snatch it from her. 

In the video, the officer was heard demanding that Oloo release the camera, but the journalist firmly refused, holding on to her equipment before the officer chased her away.

The incident sparked public outrage, with calls for accountability and the protection of press freedom. Further, media stakeholders including Abdikadir asked the DCI to take immediate action against the officer involved.

This outright harassment, intimidation, and obstruction of Journalists by @DCI_Kenya should be condemned and denounced. This is a DCI official attempting to confiscate the camera of my colleague Agnes Oloo. @KenyaEditors @fidakenya @citizentvkenya. pic.twitter.com/EZOIvxZbOC — Ayub Sh Abdikadir (@AyubAbdikadir) December 5, 2024

“This outright harassment, intimidation, and obstruction of journalists by DCI Kenya should be condemned and denounced, adding “This is a DCI official attempting to confiscate the camera of my colleague Agnes Oloo."

Speaking during a press briefing, Kanja announced that swift action was taken against the officer and that NPS had apologised for the incident.

On his part, Amin revealed that he was alerted on the matter and moved to have it resolved, emphasizing ongoing efforts to train DCI officers in media relations and competencies in terms of dealing with corruption cases.

"I'm aware of that case that happened this morning and I want to take this opportunity and thank the DCI because when he received that information, he acted quickly. We have some overzealous officers with us and it is an issue that we have handled. We have even apologised for that incident," Kanja revealed.

"That was an isolated incident. Overall, we've had a very amicable relationship with members of the press...Immediately that matter was brought to my attention, I made sure that the situation was rectified. Otherwise, we shall continue our training of officers in terms of the competencies in the area of corruption and with the media," Amin weighed in.

Viral Tea has since learnt that Oloo was harassed by a group of detectives at the DCI Headquarters along Kiambu Road when she was preparing to record the summoning of Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thang'wa who was scheduled to appear at the DCI offices to detail the incident in Limuru where goons disrupted a funeral attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

It was during the coverage that the DCI officers confronted Oloo and harassed her, however, the reporter momentarily retreated before proceeding to capture the events from a distance.

The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) had yet to issue a statement on the matter by the time of publishing this article. On June 18, 2024, MCK revealed that several journalists were injured by police officers during protests, including Joe Muhia and Iddi Ali Juma of Associated Press (AP) who were arrested and later released after being assaulted.

In addition, Standard Group and Nation Media Group journalists were arrested, bruised and some were rushed to hospital for treatment after teargas canisters were thrown at them.

On July 16, Kameme TV journalist Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki was shot three times by police officers while covering protests in Nakuru County.

Consequently, journalists across the country called for the protection of press freedom to ensure journalists can work without the threat of censorship or retaliation.

Additionally, the media practitioners held a nationwide protest to advocate for their safety and security, and called for unrestricted access to information, which they stressed is crucial for accurate and truthful reporting.