Standard Group Journalist Speaks After Being Beaten Up by GSU During Molo Protest

GSU
General Service Unit(GSU) officers during a past operation.
NPS

The National Police Service (NPS) is on the spot following an ugly incident where a journalist working with the Standard Group was assaulted by General Service Unit (GSU) officers. The officers had been sent to calm the protests that erupted on Sunday in Molo, Nakuru County, over the murder of Richard Otieno, a renowned activist whose body was found lying in the mortuary.

Daniel Chege, a reporter operating from Nakuru County detailed that despite being on duty and following the established protocols while covering the events, the GSU officers still went ahead to inflict physical and mental injuries on him.

According to Chege, the officers attacked him and his team while he was recording an incident where one of the police officers had hit a member of the public with a stone, contrary to the provisions of law and order maintenance.

''We went to cover the protests along Njoro Molo road was hacked to death on Saturday night, and unfortunately, some GSU officers who had been teargassing the members of the public attacked us and injured me on my left arm,'' Chege narrated.

A photo collage of General Service Unit(GSU) officers during an operation and Standard Group journalist Daniel Chege showing of his shirt that was torn by the police.
A photo collage of General Service Unit(GSU) officers during an operation and Standard Group journalist Daniel Chege showing of his shirt that was torn by the police.
NPS/Screengrab

Additionally, the journalist detailed that he sustained injuries on his left arm as a result of the assault by the anti-riot officers, raising a lot of questions about the professionalism of the officers.

''They tore my shirt, despite having the full knowledge that we were members of the press, they attacked me after they hit one of the protesters with a stone. The guy was left in pain, crying while asking them why they had hit him,'' he added.

According to the journalist, the officers went further by forcibly ordering them to halt their coverage, despite the law guaranteeing access to information, which is exactly what they were doing in providing the coverage.

''They then saw us and came to us and the first question was what we were doing there, even though they could see that we were from the media. We were near our car, and they hit me with the police buttons, forcing us to leave,'' Chege stated.

He added, "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.'' 

Chege and his colleagues were covering a protest in which residents took to the streets demanding justice for the murder of Richard Otieno. The circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery.

Otieno, also known as Molo President, was reportedly found dead in Molo after being attacked using an axe by unknown assailants on Saturday night.

Nakuru County has come under scrutiny for the abuse of journalists' rights, following a disturbing incident last year during the Gen Z protests, where Catherine Wanjeri, a reporter for Media Max's Kameme TV, was shot three times in the thigh while covering the unrest.

Wanjeri was shot while covering the protests at the Nakuru Central Business District while in the company of a fellow journalist who also sustained critical injuries.

During the incident that attracted wide condemnation from civil groups and the media fraternity, she was spotted holding onto her leg as she crawled on the ground in pain with blood stains on the upper part of the leg.

protests
Protestors in Elburgon carry the body of activist Richard Otieno during a march on January 19, 2025.
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