A reporter with Daily Nation went missing on Thursday evening went missing after her colleagues were brutally attacked by construction workers of a multi-billion hotel in Shanzu, Mombasa County.
Winnie Atieno was on an official duty with her NTV cameraman Karim Rajan and Daily Nation photographer Laban Walloga when the attack happened.
The photojournalists were filming the multi-billion hotel said to have encroached the Indian Ocean for the purposes of compiling a news piece.
However, they were not allowed to continue with their reporting work as they were assaulted by the construction workers under the alleged supervision of police officers.
Recounting the scary encounter, Atieno said that she decided to film the attack as she was far off from where it was happening.
According to Ms. Atieno, “I saw Walloga go down pleading with the men as he protected his camera while receiving a dog’s beating. Mr. Karim was also being beaten as he tried to defend himself. I immediately took my phone and started recording, but I was so scared.”
As she was recording one of the police officers spotted Atieno filming the attack and attacked her asking “Are you recording?”
She denied and ran off as the police officer alerted his colleagues to arrest her.
“Arrest that girl now!” she remembered the angry officers saying.
Atieno divulged that she rushed into the Flamingo Beach Hotel and proceeded to the washrooms where she hid for one hour.
She further added saying, “I was panting so hard, I found ladies in the washroom so I decided to wait until I was alone before I could make calls to my boss Lucas Barasa and mom.”
After the washrooms were vacated, Atieno called her boss and forwarded the recording of the assault.
That is when the video was posted on social media, alerting the public about what was happening to the Nation Media Group (NMG) journalists.
According to the video footage, the workers are seen mishandling Mr Rajan and Mr Walloga before confiscating their gadgets.
The workers later fight Mr Rajan who was trying to stop them from grabbing his gadgets.
Mombasa police commander Johnston Ipara said: “I do not want to be involved in that issue.”
Sources said the order for the arrest of the came from “above”.
One hour later while still in the toilet, Ms. Atieno was rescued by one Ahmed Mohammed.
However, the two photojournalists were arrested
The Nation Media Group has demanded the immediate release of the journalists.
NMG Editor-in-Chief Tom Mshindi termed the arrest unacceptable “in this time and era”.
“It is wrong for police to arrest journalists going about their duty following purported orders from some powerful individuals,” Mr Mshindi said.
He said the NMG will make a formal complaint to the police. Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid also condemned the arrest.
“Haki Africa strongly condemns and is shocked by the alleged assault and detainment. Haki Africa wishes to categorically state that there is no private beach in Kenya,” Mr Khalid said.
Mr Khalid demanded for immediate and unconditional release of Mr Rajan and Mr Walloga and subsequent arrest of those behind the incident.