ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa is deeply alarmed by and strongly condemns the violent physical assaults and armed intimidation of journalists covering the Ol Kalou Constituency by-election in Nyandarua County today, 16 July 2026. These coordinated attacks, which also included arbitrary confiscation of media equipment, were reportedly perpetrated by armed, masked men in civilian clothes and suspected plainclothes police officers, representing a severe violation of the right to freedom of expression and media freedom. The attacks represent a chilling and deliberate effort to suppress independent reporting, keep the public in the dark, and restrict Kenya’s civic space during democratic processes.
According to documentation by the Media Council of Kenya and the Kenya Editors Guild, several accredited media practitioners were violently targeted while carrying out their lawful professional duties. Enos Teche, a photojournalist with The Star newspaper, was physically assaulted by masked, armed men who fired shots in the air, lobbed tear gas at him, and forcibly stole his camera equipment, causing him an injury to his hand. Simultaneously, Brygettes Ngana, an award-winning journalist with the Nation Media Group, and her cameraperson were assaulted by suspected plainclothes officers who seized their professional camera without cause. The violence escalated further as an NTV cameraman was reportedly beaten, tased, and robbed of his camera, while another woman journalist was held at gunpoint, with a pistol pressed against her stomach, before perpetrators confiscated her mobile phone.
’These deeply disturbing acts of violence are not isolated incidents; they are a direct symptom of the rising culture of impunity and the systematic closure of civic space in Kenya,’ said Patrick Mutahi, Deputy Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa. ‘When journalists are tased, held at gunpoint, and beaten simply for documenting the actions of armed actors, the core of Kenya’s constitutional democracy is threatened. These actions aim to instil fear and enforce self-censorship, which is completely unacceptable.’
These attacks directly violate Article 34 of the Constitution of Kenya, which guarantees freedom of the media, as well as Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to which Kenya is a state party. A day before, on 15 July, the Kenya Media Sector Working Group warned of a deteriorating state of media freedom ahead of the 2027 General Election. The rapid vindication of this warning in Ol Kalou highlights the urgency with which the government must act to protect media practitioners. A free, fair, and transparent electoral process cannot exist when journalists are targets. The state has an absolute obligation to ensure that media workers can operatesafely, without fear of reprisal, harassment, or physical violence.
In response to these egregious violations, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa demands immediate and decisive action from state authorities. We call upon the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, to immediately initiate a thorough, prompt, independent, and transparent investigation into the assaults on Enos Teche, Brygettes Ngana, and all other affected journalists. Every perpetrator, including officers under police command, and the armed, masked men must be identified, arrested, and held legally accountable.
Furthermore, the National Police Service must facilitate the immediate and unconditional return of all confiscated cameras, phones, and newsgathering equipment to the respective journalists and media houses. We also call upon the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to actively investigate and monitor cases where state security agents and plainclothes officers are implicated in these violent acts to ensure accountability is enforced. Finally, the Government of Kenya must publicly renew its commitment to protecting press freedom, establishing a zero-tolerance policy for violence against media workers, and ensuring that journalists can safely cover political and electoral processes as the country prepares for the 2027 General Election.
Contact Information: ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa on email: [email protected]