Two journalists from the Nation Media Group (NMG) have claimed their lives are in danger after running an exposé on a controversial church in Nairobi, which is reportedly scamming faithful through gambling activities.
The journalists, who are part of the production team of the exposé, Sacred Swindlers, on Monday, May 26, claimed they received calls from people they claim were linked to the subjects of the documentary.
NTV's Ibrahim Karanja and Frederick Muitiriri said they received several phone calls from unknown people who remained silent upon receipt of the calls.
Later, NMG formally reported the matter to the Nairobi Regional Commander, George Seda, requesting police intervention to ensure the safety of the scribes.
In a letter to the police boss, the media house requested immediate investigations into the mysterious calls and further apprehension of the said individuals.
"This is therefore to formally record the perceived threats to the safety and lives of the said reporters, and to request investigations into the sources of the threats," read part of the letter to Seda.
The Sacred Swindlers exposé aired on NTV on Sunday, May 25, and revealed alleged exploitation of vulnerable Kenyans by a private organisation, Yahweh Media Services, disguised as a worship centre.
The documentary exposed how unsuspecting believers lost millions in a web of faith and deception while pursuing miracles that never materialised. In the well-orchestrated scam, a man who claimed to be a preacher conned his victims through gambling, disguised as hope.
Following the documentary, the government, through the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), intervened and announced that it had banned Yahweh Media Services over license violations.
According to CA, the media service was among 33 broadcasters that allegedly committed licence violations after they were found guilty of airing unlicensed gambling-related promotions.
"Even with the directives to suspend advertising of all gambling-related content, a review by the Authority revealed the continued airing of such prohibited content by some broadcasters," CA disclosed.
Meanwhile, it is not the first time journalists in Kenya's media fraternity have received threats to their lives over controversial reporting. In July last year, Citizen TV journalists received threats from unknown people for covering the anti-finance bill demonstrations.
The journalists, who were mainly news anchors, allegedly received the threatening messages through fliers that were circulated on social media platforms.
