Police Under Fire for Deleting Journalist’s Footage in Majengo

The National Police Service (NPS) has condemned an incident where officers allegedly deleted footage from an NTV journalist's camera during protests in Majengo, Nairobi. 

The protests erupted on Wednesday following the reported killing of 17-year-old Ibrahim Ramadhan by police the previous night.

Speaking on the matter, police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga expressed concern over the conduct of the officers involved. 

"As a service, we are gravely concerned and strongly condemn such misconduct," he stated. 

"We have launched investigations, and firm action will be taken against any officer found guilty."

According to eyewitnesses, officers prevented a photographer from accessing his camera, which was inside a police vehicle. 

Meanwhile, another officer was seen deleting footage recorded during the protests. 

The journalists had been covering the demonstrations when police allegedly intervened to erase evidence of their operations.

"The Constitution guarantees media freedom, and such actions by law enforcement are unacceptable," a journalist present at the scene said. "We were simply doing our job, yet our rights were violated."

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) also reported that at least eight people were shot during the protests, two of whom died. 

"Six of the injured were taken to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, while one body was moved to Nairobi Funeral Home," a KHRC representative revealed. 

"We are still trying to locate the second deceased person after reports that police removed the body."

This is not the first time journalists in Kenya have faced mistreatment at the hands of the police. During last year's tax protests in Nairobi, several reporters were attacked. 

"I was hit directly by a teargas canister," AFP journalist Collins Olunga recalled. "It was a deliberate act."

Another journalist, Jutus Mwangi from the Standard, recounted his ordeal. "I was detained without reason, then thrown out of a moving police car," he said.

More recently, in January, journalist Daniel Chege was beaten with batons by General Service Unit (GSU) officers in Molo, Nakuru County, while covering a peaceful demonstration. 

"I showed my press card, but that didn’t stop them," Chege said. "They kept hitting me until my left arm was injured."

Despite such incidents, the police service insists that it upholds media freedom. 

"We maintain a strong relationship with journalists," Nyaga assured. "We are committed to protecting their rights as required by the Constitution."