KUJ wants police officer who shot journalist in Nakuru arrested, prosecuted within 7 days
The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has
condemned the shooting of a media practitioner attached to Mediamax Limited while
covering the anti-government protests in Nakuru on Tuesday.
Catherine Kariuki, who sustained a gunshot injury to the thigh, is recuperating at a Nakuru hospital where she was rushed
by her colleagues following the incident.
According to the KUJ, Ms. Kariuki’s fellow
journalists termed the shooting as a “targeted attack” by a “rogue police
officer.”
The union now wants the said officer arrested
and prosecuted within the next one week, failure to which it will take the
matters to the courts itself.
“We demand action against the trigger-happy
police officer who targeted journalists who had been deployed by media houses
to inform Kenyans. Such barbaric acts have no place in a democratic society
like Kenya, where journalists are required to play the role of watchdog and
source of credible information to citizens,” KUJ Secretary General Erick Oduor
said in a statement.
“The Independent Policing Oversight (IPOA)
must investigate the officer involved and source of orders to shoot journalists
within seven days and prosecute the suspect, failure to which we will institute
private prosecution of the officer involved and the commander of the Nakuru
operation.”
Want to send us a story? SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp 0743570000 or Submit on Citizen Digital or email wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a Comment