Standard Group reporter Daniel Chege has narrated how he was assaulted by General Service Unit (GSU) officers while covering the protests that erupted on Sunday, January19, in Molo, Nakuru County, over the murder of Richard Otieno alias Molo President.
Chege said the GSU officers attacked him despite identifying himself as a journalist on duty.
He said the officers asked what they were covering before attacking and injuring him on the left arm.
“GSU officers who teargassed some members of the public attacked us and injured me on my left arm and tore my shirt. They knew that we were media because they were asking us what we were covering,” he said.
Chege said the officers noticed their vehicle after they hit a protester with a stone.
Afterwards, he said the officers approached their vehicle, hit him with their sticks and forced them to leave the scene.
“They attacked me after hitting a protester with a stone and the man was in pain, crying asking them why they had hit him with a stone. Then they saw us, came to our vehicle and they hit me with police buttons,” he said.
“They asked us to leave, they forced us, actually we fled the scene. We don’t know why they attacked us; they didn’t explain why.”
GSU Officers Attack Other Journalists
Additionally, Chege said they were carrying cameras and identified themselves as members of the media.
He mentioned that their colleagues protested when they were attacked, but the GSU officers turned on them.
“Even our colleagues were protesting, some of them were almost attacked but their vehicle windows were fully closed,” he said.
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Chege said the residents were holding peaceful demos with no one attacking the police.
He added that some of the police were even escorting the protesters.
“The question is are we not allowed to work right now? The residents were marching peacefully, with no instances of them hurling stones at the police. Some of the police officers were even escorting them and they were protesting something logical,” he said.
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Protests in Molo
Residents of Elburgon town, Molo Constituency in Nakuru County, on Sunday stormed Elburgon Police Station, following the murder of activist Richard Otieno.
Otieno was attacked and killed by unknown assailants on Saturday night as he headed home, just 200 meters from Elburgon Police Station.
Locals disrupted business and transport operations in the area on Sunday morning demanding answers from police.
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