Kenyan Journalists have created a united front and are now jointly seeking protection ahead of the coming 2022 General Election.
The new outfit dubbed Scribes 254, which is the country's first ever, consists of over 250 journalists across the country and beyond attached to various media houses ranging from Broadcast to print and Digital.
On the evening of Saturday, December 11, 100 journalists from the outfit attended an annual end of year event sponsored media watchdog, Media Council of Kenya (MCK) as well as Amnesty International, Kenya.
During the event, the journalists called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and state agencies to ensure their security covering the campaigns.
They argued that as messengers, their work was simply to pass the message and that they should not be targets of political parties and their operatives.
The journalists used the event to reflect on the last 2 years since the pandemic started, a period that has seen many of them lose jobs and also subjected to massive pay cuts across media houses.
"Our jobs can become very stressful, and such events offer a relief for us as we gear towards the next year," said Roncliffe Odit of BBC who is the Scribes254 President.
Speaking at the event, Amnesty International Kenya’s Ramadhan Rajab reiterated the need to protect journalists since the media plays a critical role in any democratic elections.
"As we head to elections, we will see more and more journalists facing threats from various political players. And that should not be allowed to happen," stated Rajab.
Terry Nzau of Mbaitu FM was awarded as the most outstanding journalist of 2021 during the event that began on Saturday 2pm into the wee hours of Sunday morning.
The WhatsApp Group created by the journalists ensures a strong influence and collaboration to enhance robust news reporting, by providing a platform for scribes to share news assignments, contacts, interviews and peer to peer mentorship.
In the past, journalists have found themselves under attack, either from the public or politicians, for simply doing their work.
On 24 April 2021, police beat and injured nine journalists in Makumi, Mbeere South, Embu County, who were covering a story regarding the forceful eviction by police officers.
The dispute at the time was between the area residents and Tana and Athi River Development Authority (TARDA).
Zacchaeus Mwasame, an NTV reporter, was also attacked by goons at Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega County as recently as Sunday, November 7.
The reporter had been assigned to cover a match between Kakamega Homeboyz and Bandari FC. Chaos broke out at the tail-end of the game after Kakamega Homeboyz lost a 93rd-minute penalty to the visiting team.
