3 Journalists Badly Assaulted by Police Officer

Three journalists were reportedly assaulted and subsequently arrested by police officers while attempting to cover the arrival of a new secondary school principal in Kitui County.

Acting on a public tip-off, the journalists headed to Mutonguni Boys High School on Thursday, February 8, to document a potential protest by parents who had pledged to demonstrate if the new principal assumed office.

Upon arrival, they found the school gate shut and the principal already inside. Police officers on the scene ordered everyone to disperse immediately.

When some individuals hesitated, one journalist faced the brunt of the officers’ aggression, enduring a severe beating and sustaining injuries, while others also suffered varying degrees of harm.

Subsequently, some of the journalists were forcibly taken into custody by the police and purportedly booked at a nearby police station. According to one journalist, they were taken to Ndolo’s Police station, where an attempt was made to charge them with causing a disturbance.

Meanwhile, heavy security presence surrounded the school as the new principal was ushered in, while a group of parents who had threatened to protest due to concerns over academic performance were also denied access to the area.

This incident follows a previous assault on February 1, where a journalist from Standard Media alleged being attacked by officials from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) along the Kitale-Kapenguria highway.

A video shared on social media captured the journalist in a scuffle with the officials, who purportedly threatened him with further violence.