Less than a day after the BBC cancelled its public screening of the 'Blood Parliament' exposé over what they revealed was pressure from the government authorities, the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has broken its silence.
In a statement by the KUJ Secretary General, Erick Oduor, the union, which brings together all the journalists from across Kenya to champion for their rights, has congratulated the BBC for its bold journalism.
According to KUJ, the documentary helped to expose police brutality and the innocent killing of young Kenyans.
''The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) would like to congratulate the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its bold journalism that exposed police brutality and killings of innocent young Kenyans during the protests against the Finance Bill last year,'' the statement read in part.
"This is journalism that the world needs today to hold authorities to account for their actions. The Blood Parliament documentary demonstrates the media's role as the Fourth Estate that keeps other Estates in check, especially the government, to respect the rule of law."
KUJ has also lashed out at some of the politicians, whom they revealed were not happy with the production, indicating that soon, the reality will catch up with them.
Further, KUJ maintained that Kenyans cannot pretend that nothing happened following the shooting at Parliament precincts and across the country on June 25 last year, and encouraged journalists to remain true to their calling.
"We have noted that a section of the political class is not happy with this excellent piece of journalism, but it's only a matter of time before the reality hits them," KUJ added.
Meanwhile, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna also lashed out at the critics of the production, maintaining that, having witnessed the unfolding, it was wrong for some individuals to state that it was politically motivated.
"Speaking as someone present in Parliament that day, the events depicted in the Blood Parliament documentary by BBC Africa Eye are not fabrications. They happened. We all saw it live and on our screens. We must encourage these stories to be told from all angles for the sake of truth and justice. Those who are uncomfortable with this are wrestling with their own consciences, and we cannot help them with that," Sifuna noted.
The developments follow a BBC exposé which revealed that the June 25 anti-government protests—culminating in the storming of Parliament—may have been infiltrated by highly trained operatives outside regular police units, typically mandated to uphold law and order.
According to the investigation, it is alleged that alongside police officers, some of the shooters involved in quelling the Gen Z protests may have been drawn from the Kenya Defence Forces.
In the exposé, a young Kenyan journalist, Allan Ademba, emerged as a victor after he was recorded while rushing to save the lives of fellow youths who had been shot in the chaos. This unfolded as hundreds of other protesters fled for their lives when Parliament's precincts came under heavy gunfire.
On Monday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) revealed that out of the 60 death cases registered, it had completed 22 investigations, while it was actively pursuing 36, and that 2 cases were currently before the courts.
