On Wednesday dozens of journalists marched on the streets of Nairobi in protest at what they see as heavy-handed government tactics to stifle media freedoms, including police attacks on journalists during the demonstrations that have rocked the country for the past five weeks.
The protests were organized in the wake of attacks on journalists covering the anti-government demonstrations, among other grievances.
At least 50 people have been killed and more than 400 wounded since the start of the protests on June 18, according to rights groups.
Journalists covering the events have been shot at, tear-gassed and hit with batons and water cannon, media groups say, further eroding trust in the East African nation’s security forces.
“Freedom of the media and freedom of expression generally is on the verge of being eroded, courtesy of a rogue security apparatus,” the Kenya Editors Guild said in a statement last week.
On Wednesday, journalists in the capital Nairobi presented a petition to the police headquarters before marching to parliament.
“We are asking for protection from the police and for them to stop shooting and attacking journalists with a lot of excessive force,” said the secretary general of the Kenya Union of Journalists, Erick Oduor.
