Two journalists from Standard Media Group were attacked and injured by armed goons while covering the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay on Sunday, renewing concerns over journalists’ safety on the line of duty, especially during volatile political events.
At the same time, about six vehicles were also torched, shops were looted and property was destroyed while other reports indicated that during the rally, one woman died after she was hit and ran over by a speeding vehicle, while a police officer was also injured after being struck on the head by a stone.
With regard to the journalists, Rogers Otiso, a journalist based in Kisumu, and his colleague, photographer Samuel Omingo based at Kisii, were covering the procession as the Linda Mwananchi group headed towards Homa Bay town for a mega rally.
The journalists were travelling in their vehicle and were positioned among vehicles in the convoy when they encountered youths who had barricaded the road at the Kaduogo area.
Otiso said they alighted from the vehicle to document the unfolding events, since filming from inside the moving vehicle was difficult. At the time, police officers were also firing teargas canisters towards youths ahead of the convoy.
According to Otiso, another group of youths armed with machetes and other crude weapons suddenly approached and confronted them, demanding to know why they were at the scene.
In the ensuing confusion, the driver sped away with other vehicles, leaving the two journalists exposed.
Otiso said the attackers pushed him down using a log they were carrying. He fell on the road and was nearly run over by an oncoming vehicle that was speeding away from the confrontation.
“The driver stepped on the brakes in the nick of time,” Otiso said, adding that he sustained injuries to both hands and his right leg.
Bleeding and disoriented, Otiso and Omingo ran towards a nearby homestead seeking refuge. They were initially denied entry before another household allowed them inside.
They remained hidden in the house for about two hours as the attackers searched for them outside. Their phones were also placed on silent mode.
Otiso said they could hear the men communicating in Dholuo and asking each other where the journalists had gone.
The journalists were eventually rescued after an ambulance arrived at a nearby homestead to pick up another person who had sustained a serious neck injury and were taken to Homa Bay Teaching and Referral Hospital, where Otiso received first aid.
However, their ordeal did not end at the hospital. They encountered some of the same armed men inside the hospital compound.
One of the men allegedly recognised the journalists and warned them that they were not finished with them and that they would kill them, while making a gesture suggesting beheading.
The two hid in the hospital until after 11.00pm when they left. Otiso said the attack had left him in pain but hoped to recover, while acknowledging that the experience had also affected his mental wellbeing.
“It was a bad experience for us as journalists because we were only doing our work and were not affiliated to either group,” he said.
Journalists have always been targeted during protests and other politically charged demonstrations, where they are caught between rival groups and security forces despite remaining neutral in the events they are covering.
He called on the Media Council of Kenya and other relevant authorities to condemn attacks against journalists and take steps to improve their safety while covering public events.
“We are only journalists and not their enemy. At the end of the day, we need to report on what is happening around us,” he said.
Omingo, who escaped the initial attack by jumping over a flower fence, said he was shocked to encounter the armed men again at the hospital.
“I was shocked because if goons can penetrate a hospital facility, which place is safe?” Omingo said, questioning the safety of public facilities.
He said they had to remain in hiding because there was little visible security at the facility and goons were moving around the facility.
Omingo said the hospital was treating numerous people injured during the clashes, with about 25 patients suffering various injuries at the time.
However, hospital reports showed that about 46 people were injured during Sunday’s incidents in Homa Bay, with one person reportedly in critical condition.
According to the records, more than 70 per cent of the patients had suffered cut wounds, with the injured aged between 21 and 50 years.
The reports also indicated that another patient had sustained four gunshot wounds to different parts of the body, including the thighs and limbs.
By Sitna Omar
