A looming trend has sent the nation into a somber mood. The ways of old times are cropping into the justice and law enforcement systems. There is a new style of arrests, reminiscent of the days of totalitarian rule: ONE IS GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, and the police are entitled to arrest you without telling you why. On the 17th of July, a veteran press man fell victim of this trend, having been frog marched into a ‘police toyota probox’, their means of transportation to the police station where he would learn of his sins: ‘mistaken identity’ or so reads a statement posted on the National Police Service social handles. According to the statement, they were hunting for a certain Francis Gaitho, a ‘criminal’ subject to their investigation. His crime? they did not clarify, but from the look of things, it has something to do with the ongoing nationwide demonstrations.
The latter, has been among the leading voices in mobilizing the public to picket and to demand for the resignation of President William Ruto, who for some reason has gone on public record claiming that the ongoing unrest is funded by conniving NGOs from the United States, among them FORD Foundation. Backing his claims are a number of bloggers with massive following across various social media channels, who have claimed, repeatedly, that Mr. Francis Gaitho, among other vocal activists are benefitting from the protests, at the expense of novice civilians, with nothing to angle for.
Gaitho is a former political aspirant. However, there is little to no justification for the arrest of young civilians who peacefully protested against the finance bill, and now against what they call clueless leadership by the Kenya Kwanza administration with genuine intentions. Noteworthy is the fact that there is an absolute difference between arresting and abducting someone. What was witnessed, was clearly an abduction, put in a less radical term; a forceful arrest. To this minute, an X post by social media influencer Polo Kimani indicates that nobody knows exactly why they were arrested and had to spend the night at a police cell, despite public outcry for their freedom.
Francis Gaitho, who also does not know why he is being investigated by the police has since announced that he will present himself to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation to understand his wrongs, even as members of the fourth estate continue to decry brutality on journalists, accentuated by the live bullets used on Media Max reporter Catherine Wanjeri on Tuesday. In a statement released by Media Council Of Kenya Tuesday, they call on the National Police Service to end police impunity.
” The shooting of Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki, a journalist attached to Kameme TV, while in the company of other journalists and the police is shameful and terrifying,” the statement reads in part. ” We commend Catherine’s fellow Nakuru based journalists for taking swift action to save her life, ” the council declares. ” We wish her a quick recovery and affirm our support,” the statement proceeds. To bring an end to this impunity, we call on the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority to conclude investigations and bring the police terrorizing journalists to justice,” the statement reads. “Journalists play a critical role in informing the public and holding powerful institutions accountable and must be allowed to carryout their duties freely and safely, as enshrined in the Kenyan constitution,” the statement continues. “We urge law enforcement agencies to respect the media and to ensure the safety of journalists at all the time.”
