NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 17 – A Mediamax cameraman has recounted how he was injured and robbed of his camera and Live transmission equipment while covering the Linda Mwananchi political mobilisation in Homa Bay County on Sunday.
Speaking in a video posted by K24, the cameraman, who identified himself as Francis, said the team had made two peaceful stops earlier in the day before encountering roadblocks as they approached Homa Bay town.
“We started in the morning and the first two stops were very peaceful. We thought everything would continue that way, but as we approached Homa Bay town, we found the roads blocked. They had put logs, trees and electricity poles across the road,” he said.
Francis said the team managed to clear the first roadblocks before encountering another group of people near Homa Bay town, where police officers accompanying them attempted to disperse the crowd using tear gas.
“The team we were with managed to clear the road until we approached Homa Bay town, where people emerged from behind and from the sides. The police officers who were with us tried to throw tear gas, but I think the people were many and they overpowered them,” Francis said.
He said vehicles in the convoy began retreating towards Homa Bay town as they sought an alternative route.
“Vehicles started escaping towards Homa Bay town. It reached a point where we thought we should change lanes. As we were trying to change lanes, our vehicle stalled,” he said.
Francis said the driver tried to restart the vehicle but told him they had to get out after people reached them.
“While we were trying to restart it, that is when those people reached us. The driver told me we had to get out because we would die in that vehicle; they would burn it,” he said.
He said he was struck in the eye by a stone after attempting to open the vehicle door, with his spectacles breaking and cutting him.
“As I tried to open the door on my side, a stone was thrown through the window and hit me in the eye. I was wearing glasses and the glasses cut me,” he said.
Francis said he moved to the driver’s side while attempting to escape, still carrying the LiveU equipment and camera.
“I jumped to the other side of the driver. I was holding the LiveU and the camera. As I was getting out, a man came and asked me, ‘How much money do you have? And give me that camera.’ He threw a machete at me, but fortunately I was wearing a helmet,” he said.
He said the machete struck the helmet before the attackers took his camera and LiveU equipment.
“That helmet is what was hit. So they took the camera and LiveU, and I ran away,” he said.
Francis said he escaped through the tear gas before finding a vehicle belonging to journalists from The Standard, who took him to hospital.
“I went through the tear gas and found a Standard vehicle. I got inside and they took me to the hospital,” he said.
He thanked the Standard journalists for prioritising his safety despite the pressure to continue covering the political activities.
“I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to the Standard team. Despite the pressure and the calls they were receiving to send their story, they did not stop. They said they would first take me to the hospital,” he said.
Francis said the journalists initially did not know his identity and only realised he was a fellow journalist from another media house after taking him to hospital.
“In fact, at that time they did not know who I was. They knew I was just a colleague from another media house. It was only when they took me into the hospital and I was placed on a bed that they realised, ‘Oh, it is Francis!’” he said.
He said doctors treated his injuries and that he was feeling better, although he reported what he described as some internal bleeding.
“But thanks to God, the doctors received me and treated me. Until now I am feeling better, except for some internal bleeding which I know will go away,” he said.
Francis showed injuries around his eye, explaining that the stone had struck his spectacles before cutting him.
“The stone came from this side and hit my glasses, and that is what cut me here. If you look, there are some stitches. I was stitched,” he said.
He also showed a mark on his helmet which he said was caused by the machete.
“And that machete, I was wearing this… if you look here, there is a mark from the machete. I was wearing it like this, so the machete did not get inside; it hit this,” he said.
The attack occurred as Linda Mwananchi activities in Homa Bay were disrupted by groups that blocked roads leading into the town and confronted people associated with the political mobilisation. Vehicles were damaged during the confrontation, while journalists covering the events were also attacked and some lost equipment.
The incidents drew condemnation from rights organisations, with Amnesty International Kenya calling for investigations into the attacks on journalists, destruction of property, disruption of media broadcasts and road blockades. The organisation also questioned the response of security agencies and called for an independent review of how they handled the violence.
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i also questioned the security response to the Homa Bay violence, alleging that the disruption could not have occurred without the knowledge of the security leadership.
