The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has condemned the incident where NTV journalist Mwangi Muiruri was assaulted by bodyguards attached to Second Lady Dorcas Rigathi.
In a statement on Thursday, November 24, MCK CEO David Omwoyo urged the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to identify the officers in the incident and take appropriate action.
Omwoyo said that there has been a rising trend of policemen with plain clothes attached to government officials attacking journalists.
"The Media Council of Kenya condemns the attack against a Nation Group journalist, Mr Mwangi Muiruri, by plain cloth policemen attached to the office of Kenya's Second Lady on November 24 in Murang'a County.
"The Media Council of Kenya urges the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to identify, publicly name and take appropriate action against the officers involved to not only protect press freedom but also guard against impunity by those acting under the false guise of anonymity," Omwoyo stated.
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Muiruri was roughed up by three bodyguards, with one of them slapping the journalist on the face in a viral video.
It took the intervention of Muiruri's colleague to entangle him from the officers as he came in shouting, "ni colleague wangu bana, ni colleague..."
Muiruri was covering the Second Lady's event using his mobile phone before one of the bodyguards accosted him and tried to stop him from recording.
Mrs. Rigathi was was distributing relief food in Gatanga, Murang'a County.
