Homabay, where leaders don’t fancy journalists

By Observer Team

“A female police officer pointed her gun at my head and said I could not enter the Assembly premises. Another officer held me by the shirt, tearing off
some buttons as they pushed us away.”

This statement was made by Daily Nation Correspondent Barack Oduor last Friday at a forum organized by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) during a fact-dining visit to Homabay County following reports of recent assault on journalists in the lakeside town.

Oduor told a hushed hall filled with 19 reporters for 11 media houses that journalists in Homabay do not enjoy good working relations with local County officials. The reason, he said, is because journalists have been reporting about ongoing investigations on alleged corruption and power struggles that sometimes erupts in violence at the County Assembly.

The event was hosted by the aging, beachfront Tourist Hotel in town. Media Council staff had come to find out the circumstances under which journalists were allegedly assaulted by police. Prior to the Friday event with journalists and in an attempt to gather facts, the MCK staff led by Project Team Leader Kodi Barth first visited the police and the County Assembly on Thursday. Here they found a markedly different narrative from that told by the affected journalists.

It was widely reported in the media that on 29 January Homabay police assaulted three journalists and damaged their equipment at the County Assembly gates. The reporters, Oduor of the Nation, Aly Abich of Royal Media Services and George Odiwuor of Media Max Networks were on duty to cover a special sitting of the Assembly.

“Before the attack, there were threats to several journalists by county assembly officials not to expose the rot in the county,” Oduor said.

On the fateful day, the three reporters arrived at the Assembly’s gates, where Administration Police officers and private security personnel denied them entry to cover proceedings. The security officers said they had firm instructions to not allow journalists into the Assembly.

The officers could not name the source of these orders. However, Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Esau Okodie said no such orders came from the police commander; that it may have come from either the Speaker or Clerk of the Assembly.

Wang’chieng’ Ward Member of Assembly Peter Kaula told MCK staff that it’s not unusual for the Assembly to bar  reporters from house-keeping sessions known as Kamkunji.

However, all three affected journalists concurred that they had no notice of a Kamkunji on 29 January. Besides, Oduor added, there are rules to follow on such occasions, such as formal notice of a Kamkunji written by the Assembly clerk to the media. The journalists said they received no such notice.

At the gates, the standoff with security officers escalated when three MCAs, Julius Gaya of Karachuonyo Central, Okuku Miregi of Rusinga Island and Godfrey Juma of Homa Bay East, demanded that the journalists be allowed into the Assembly. A scuffle ensued, leading to violence on the journalists.

The attacked journalists later reported the assault to the Homabay police and deposited the damaged camera as exhibit., the forum heard. Michael Mutonyi, the Administration Police Commander, promised investigations.

Nothing has been heard from him.

“After three days, the police told us they still did not know the officer who destroyed George’s camera, even after we gave them the picture and a recording of the officer,” Oduor said.

Days later, the journalist got frustrated that the matter was going nowhere. So Odiwuor returned to the police station and collected his camera, he told MCK staff at a joint meeting with OCPD Okodie. But by retrieving the camera, Odiwuor said, the police told him later on the phone, they journalists were effectively deemed to have withdrawn the case.

Okodie confirmed that he ordered his crime officer to investigate the case. But the officer later informed him that the reporters had withdrawn the case.

OCPD Okodie confirmed to MCK staff that he ordered a crime officers to investigate the case, but that the officer later informed him that the reporters had withdrawn the case. 

Prior to coming to Homabay, the MCK made repeated efforts to secure appointments with the Speaker, the Assembly Clerk and Majority Leader. However, the Council was informed that the Assembly was not in session and that these officers would be unavailable for an indefinite period.

Who wants to train as an expert County Assembly reporter? Well, come to Homabay. Chances are they won’t like you much here. But who likes journalists in these strange, unfortunate times?