Stephen Nzioka, a journalist working for The Standard, reportedly went into hiding after receiving threats from police in Makueni County, following a report he wrote incriminating security officials.
In a report by K24 TV, the Media Council of Kenya condemned the police, accusing them of issuing threats to a member of the fourth estate who was on duty to unravel the rot in the force.
“The fact that the journalist has gone into hiding means that there is a problem. Chapter 34 of our constitution clearly says that no journalist should be penalized for the work they do,” remarked Dinah Ondari from MCK.
The journalists' watchdog further condemned the police for victimising Nzioki, calling for a thorough investigation into the matter.
“We are urging the police to provide a good working environment for journalists in the county,” remarked another official.
In a story published on November 7, Nzioka wrote of how a resident of Makueni county, Ngoma Kaleli, alias Nthee, was allegedly murdered in cold blood by police officers who later denied involvement in the case.
Nthee was arrested by police officers and locked up for two days.
A source who spoke to Nzioka informed him that he met Nthee at the police station, despite police denial that Nthee had been booked there.
“When I was being released, he heard my voice and asked for a cigarette. I passed one through the space beneath the door. At this juncture, he told me to greet his uncle and maintained that he knew he would be killed,” recalled the source as quoted by The Standard.
On November 2, residents woke up to the sad news that Nthee had been shot, but police claimed that he had been shot after trying to attack officers who found him with stolen items.
Makueni County Commander Joseph ole Naipeiyan declined to comment on the matter referring the journalist to Police Commander Timothy Maina.
Maina described Nthee as a wanted jailbird but denied he had been arrested.
“He was not in our cells last week, nothing like that in our records, he was not arrested,” Maina remarked.
