Citizen TV Journalist Harassed by Police During Live 9pm Bulletin [VIDEO]

Citizen TV journalist Gatete Njoroge (left) and a screenshot of a police officer in scuffle with the journalist on Sunday, November 14. 2021.
Citizen TV journalist Gatete Njoroge (left) and a screenshot of a police officer in scuffle with the journalist on Sunday, November 14. 2021.
File

Citizen TV journalist Gatete Njoroge was on the evening of Sunday, November 14, harassed by Police while reporting live during the channel's prime time bulletin.

The reporter and his crew had rushed to Jamhuri High School to cover a fire that was consuming the institution's dormitory.

In the clip that went live, the revered journalist was heard claiming that the police had blocked him from capturing the tragic event.

Inside the frame, a police officer was seen pushing the equipment while Njoroge was on a live link with news anchors Jeff Koinange and Lilian Muli who were anchoring Sunday Live.

"You can see the police there. You can see the firefighters. You can see the ambulance services," stated Koinange while seeking an updated from the reporter.

"The thing is this, we are being harassed. What do we do? Let's go live with the harassment that is happening. Let's go live with that, Jeff," responded Njoroge before going silent.

Below is the video:

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It is still not clear what led to the scuffle between the journalist and the police or if the crew were injured or their equipment damaged.

The fire at Jamhuri High School began at around 8pm on Sunday and razed the one-storey building that housed 300 students.

Firefighters at the scene were drawn from the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) as well as other agencies across the county.

The blaze completely destroyed the building but luckily, no casualties were reported as all the students were evacuated into the field.

The attack on Gatete came just hours after Deputy President William Ruto's security team arrested and assaulted a reporter, Mwangi Muiruri, attached to Nation Media Group (NMG).

Muiruri was arrested after an altercation with the bodyguards while their boss was officially launching the Kangari United Dairy Co-op Society Limited, in Kigumo constituency.

He was accused of compromising the DP's security by obstructing the guards. However, the journalist refuted the theory, stating that he had no plans to cause trouble.

A Jamhuri High School dormitory catches fire on Sunday, November 14, 2021.
A Jamhuri High School dormitory catches fire on Sunday, November 14, 2021.
The Standard
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