Journalists attacked, equipment damaged in Turkana

Journalists attacked, equipment damaged in Turkana

A group of journalists were on Wednesday afternoon assaulted by goons and their equipment destroyed during a meeting of the KANU Party in Lodwar town, Turkana County.

The eight journalists from KBC, NTV, KTN, Citizen TV, Radio Maisha, The Star newspaper, Daily Nation and a local radio station were covering a press briefing at KANU offices in Lodwar town, when rowdy youth allegedly hired by the sitting chairman stormed the event.

The official claiming to be the newly-elected KANU Turkana chairman, Enock Kamario, was making an address when the sitting Chairman, Charles Lorogoi and other leaders, accompanied by rowdy youth, ambushed them disrupting the presser.

The sitting chairman took to the stage and dismissed the new leaders as impostors claiming there were no official elections held to replace the current leaders.

A stand off ensued with the locals turning against the journalists covering the event.

The journalists’ equipment including cameras and recorders were destroyed with some of the journalists sustaining injuries.

Emmanuel Cheboit of Citizen TV had his camera destroyed, Radio Maisha reporter Philip Ekadeli’s sound recorder was smashed while The Star newspaper journalist Hesborn Etyang and Imani Bahati of KBC were physically assaulted and harassed.

This was the second time the journalists were being assaulted in less than a month after a previous attack on January 2, while covering an assignment at Eliye Springs.

The journalists have since recorded a statement with the police.

Tags:

Citizen TV KANU TURKANA COUNTY JOURNALISTS ATTACKED lodwar town

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