Journalists Attacked, Equipment Stolen While Covering Rigathi Gachagua's Homecoming
- Journalists covering the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), Rigathi Gachagua's homecoming, encountered trouble
- This is after a group of unknown assailants attacked them, destroyed their vehicles and made away with their equipment
- Photos and videos captured the incident that happened in City Cabanas along Mobasa Road on Thursday, August 21
Faith Chandianya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and Current Affairs in Kenya
A group of journalists covering former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua's homecoming experienced a difficult time.
Source: Twitter
The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader just landed in the country after his United States tour came to an end.
Were journalists covering Gachagua's homecoming attacked?
All was well for journalists from various media houses until they reached Mombasa Road, when chaos erupted.
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Photos and videos seen by TUKO.co. ke showed journalists being attacked with their vehicles damaged after stones were hurled at them.
Some of the journalists affected included those from the Standard Group and the Royal Media Services (RMS).
According to a statement issued by Cape Media on Thursday, August 21, TV47 journalists were also attacked by unknown assailants at the City Cabanas along Mombasa Road.
The attackers also stole essential equipment from the reporters, including mobile phones and a camera.
"This afternoon, a group of unidentified assailants attacked and injured the TV47 crew at City Cabanas area along Mombasa Road while covering the homecoming of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The attackers also stole essential equipment, including a camera and mobile phones," the statement read in part," the statement read in part.
Were attacks on journalists reported?
The media outlet stated that it is in touch with the affected team and has already reported the matter to the authorities.
"We are providing them with the necessary medical, emotional, and logistical support as they recover from this traumatic experience," they said.
The company's head of TV, Macharia Wamugo, condemned the attack on their journalists and called the law enforcement to take action and bring the perpetrators to book.
"We strongly condemn this blatant attack on press freedom and call on authorities to swiftly investigate this incident and ensure the safety of all journalists legally covering this and other events," Macharia Wamugo said.
Did goons attack Gachagua's convoy?
At the same event, Gachagua and his convoy were not spared from the attack.
There was a moment of confrontation between the former deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, and goons who hurled stones at his motorcade while it was heading towards the Nairobi City Centre.
Source: Twitter
A section of DCP supporters fought back, prompting the intervention of police officers who were in the vicinity.
In a bid to disperse the rowdy crowd, the police lobbed teargas.
Addressing Kenyans at their first stopover, Gachagua's allies linked the chaos to the state and the Nairobi county government.
On his part, DCP deputy leader Cleophas Malala accused Governor Johnson Sakaja of hiring the youth to cause chaos.
Murang'a senator, Joe Nyutu, claimed that choppers that were visible in the air were coordinating with goons on the ground.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
