Attacks, injuries and intimidation are the order of the day for journalists while covering and reporting the news during their field career.
For seasoned KTN journalist, Patrick Amimo, his case was no different.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the journalist detailed how his entry into Standard Group Limited was not without its share of trials and hardships.
"On my second week while on probation, precisely on December 1, 2000, I found myself in the middle of a violent riot in South B. Kiosk owners in Fuata Nyayo slums were fighting over a piece of land with members of the Muslim community.
He pointed out how the battles lasted for two days after the protestors burned a Mosque on the disputed land. As a result, their cameraman, JB Mwangi, was injured and rushed to a nearby hospital.
On the second day, Amimo recounted how he was sent to the battlefront and ended up at the centre of the skirmishes whereby machete-wielding youths confronted the media crew for alleged misreporting over the incident.
"We called the News Editor through a walkie-talkie that enjoyed an exclusive radius of 20km to alert our colleagues from the rival station not to come to the field with labeled microphones or vehicles.
"There were no mobile phones then. The well-to-do had pagers for sms. We also used to file stories using manual typewriters. Most newsrooms then had a maximum of five desktops for exclusive use by editors and subs.
Owing to the fierce battle, police were overwhelmed as two churches were also burnt down. Amimo ended up sustaining injuries on his spine after a stone landed on his back. Consequently, over 50 people got injured and several cars were also burnt.
"After a 12-hour battle, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in South B, and International Christian Center near South B/C footbridge along Uhuru Highway, were torched and reduced to rubble," he noted.
Amimo reminisced the events as he was announcing his exit from the Mombasa-road based station. He worked as a senior reporter and bureau Chief during his tenure.
He lauded his colleagues for the two-decade experience in news coverage.
He also revealed that another highlight of his career was covering a political event in Kajiado in November 2001 where the late Prof George Saitoti locked horns with the late Daniel Ole Muyaa over political supremacy.
"I enjoyed the flexing of muscle between the two Maa leaders political heavyweights in Kitengela, despite the scorching sun. I could see Saitoti miffed, but Muyaa kept boxing him to the corner, claiming "I am the force."
"He was then sponsored by former Minister Julius Sunkuli, to fight Saitoti in Kajiado. That introduced me to reporting 'in the murky field of politics," he narrated.
Amimo's exit came in the wake of an unrelenting talent hemorrhage, occasioned by the Standard Group's financial woes.
