The National Police Service has issued a statement clarifying the arrest of renowned journalist Macharia Gaitho, attributing the incident to a case of mistaken identity.
In the early hours of Wednesday 17 July, Gaitho was apprehended by police officers in what was initially believed to be an abduction.
However, the police quickly discovered that Gaitho was not the intended target of their investigation. The real subject, identified as Francis Gaitho, remains under scrutiny by law enforcement.
“The National Police Service would like to clarify to the public that this morning, we arrested journalist Macharia Gaitho in a case of mistaken identity, meant for the arrest of Francis Gaitho who is our subject of investigation,” the police statement read.
![DCI Boss Mohammed Amin. Photo/Courtesy](http://thekenyatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Untitled-design-2024-06-22T093921.794.png)
Gaitho’s Arrested
According to early reports, the journalist drove to Karen Police Station after he noticed that he was being followed by a Subaru vehicle.
Additionally, Gaitho was driving his vehicle with his son who recorded the harassment and subsequent arrest of the journalist.
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Further, the police officers at Karen Police station took the journalist to an unknown place after arresting him.
However, the National Police Service has assured the public that it does not target journalists in any way.
“We reiterate that as a Service, we do not target journalists in any way, and today’s incident is highly regrettable,” the statement read.
“The National Police Service remains committed to working with the media while discharging our mandate of promoting accountability and transparency,” NPS added.
![Veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho. Photo/Courtesy](http://thekenyatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TKT-76-750x375.png)
Journalist Shot at Nakuru
This comes barely a day after a journalist was shot in Nakuru while covering the ongoing GenZ protests.
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Catherine Kariuki, a media max journalist was shot by police officers while covering protests in Nakuru.
She sustained a gunshot injury to the thigh and is recuperating at a Nakuru hospital where she was rushed by her colleagues following the incident.
So far, the Media Council of Kenya among other media entities have condemned the shooting of a media practitioner terming it as a shooting as a “targeted attack” by a “rogue police officer.”
About Gaitho
Macharia Gaitho is a former managing editor for special projects with the Nation Media Group in Nairobi.
However, he is now an independent journalist running a weekly opinion column with the group’s Daily Nation and providing political analysis for a number of newspapers across East Africa.
He has been voicing his discontent with the government of Kenya and the state of the nation amidst anti-government protests in the country.
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![A group of Journalists at a past press briefing. PHOTO/Courtesy.](http://thekenyatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TKT-75-750x375.png)
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