NAIROBI,Kenya July 16 – The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has condemned what it described as targeted attacks against journalists covering the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, accusing security agencies of failing to protect media workers and demanding immediate action against those responsible.
In a statement issued on Thursday, MCK said the assaults and confiscation of media equipment by armed men during the by-election were not isolated incidents but part of a worrying pattern aimed at intimidating journalists and undermining press freedom.
“The Council views these continued attacks as more than isolated press freedom violations, but deliberately orchestrated security actions aimed at intimidating media workers into censorship and fear, thereby denying the public their right to accountable and peaceful electoral participation,” the statement said.
MCK argued that the attacks amounted to “a direct attack on press freedom, an obstruction of the public’s right to information and an affront to Kenya’s constitutional order.”
Among the journalists attacked was The Star photojournalist Enos Teche, who was covering a confrontation between residents and occupants of three vehicles in Ol Kalou town when armed, masked men reportedly descended on the scene.
According to MCK, the attackers fired gunshots into the air and lobbed teargas canisters to disperse members of the public before turning on the journalist.
The men allegedly demanded Teche’s camera before assaulting him and forcibly confiscating the equipment. He sustained injuries to his hand during the attack and later recorded a statement at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCIO) offices in Ol Kalou.
In a separate incident, Nation Media Group journalist Brygettes Ngana and her cameraperson were allegedly assaulted by suspected plainclothes police officers while covering the election.
MCK said the officers, whose identities had not yet been confirmed, confiscated the crew’s camera without explanation.
The council said the attacks highlighted growing risks facing journalists covering elections and warned that continued impunity threatened media freedom and the public’s right to receive independent information during democratic processes.
It called on the police command in the area to immediately stop the attacks on journalists, identify all officers involved, facilitate the unconditional return of confiscated equipment and fully cooperate with investigations.
MCK also urged the Inspector-General of Police to take swift disciplinary and legal action against those responsible.
“The Council remains firmly committed to the protection of journalists and the defence of press freedom,” the statement said.
It added that it would engage the DCIO in Ol Kalou, the Inspector-General of Police and, where necessary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to pursue justice for the affected journalists.
The attacks occurred amid heightened political tensions and isolated violence that marked Thursday’s by-election, raising fresh concerns over the safety of journalists assigned to cover electoral processes ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
