The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has asked the National Police Service (NPS) to bring to book the attackers of Nation Media Group journalist Ian Byron.
In a Tuesday, July 12 statement, MCK said that Byron was attacked by unknown persons on Sunday after he filed a report on ODM’s and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed.
Taking to Twitter, MCK’s Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo said Byron had filed a report with the NPS stating that he was harassed after filing the report.
“The Council urges the police to investigate the Sunday incident reported at Migori Police Station under OB No. 28/10/7/2022 with a view to prosecuting the assailants.
“The Council has noted with concern the rising cases of assaults targeting journalists and media enterprises from politicians in the recent past. The more than 50 incidences and press freedom violations in the form of profiling, denial of access, harassment, and intimidation, both online and offline is a threat to media freedom,” the statement by MCK read in part.
The council further called upon any party aggrieved by the work of journalists to direct the complaints to the Media Complaints Commission.
“The safety and security of journalists and media practitioners is a collective responsibility and goes beyond individual media houses and or editors as provided under the UN Action Plan on safety and Impunity Against Journalists,” MCK added.
Omwoyo and his team said that attacks on journalists threaten the media space and affect the industry’s determination to remain unbiased.
This is after the council singled out Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi and his South Mugirango counterpart Silvanos Osoro for intimidating the editorial leadership of Royal Media Services (RMS) back in May.
“We particularly take note of the latest verbal attack against Citizen TV by Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi vide a social media post meant to intimidate the editorial discretion of the station.
Sudi’s statement comes after similar threats by South Mugirango Member of Parliament Silvanus Osoro who castigated the media outlet for alleged biased reporting,” MCK said.
