The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has voiced its concerns regarding instances of plainclothes police officers disguising themselves as journalists amidst the protests.
In a memo dated July 19, MCK termed the act by plain-clothed police officers as a threat to media work. The Media Council has called out the ‘masquerading’ of police officers as grave unprofessional misconduct saying that it could expose journalists to risks in their line of duty.
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The Media Council of Kenya released the statement in response to a video shared on social media that shows an undercover police officer disguising himself as a journalist in the middle of protests before he arrests a protestor in the ongoing anti-government protests organized by the Azimio One Kenya Coalition.
The protests have caused cases of violence and destruction of property in various towns in Kenya including Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu. The protests are said to be fueled by the high cost of living in the country.
The impersonation of journalists by police could put media practitioners’ safety in jeopardy as the protestors may attack them assuming that they are plain-clothed police officers. A case of journalist associated with Africa Uncensored being confused for a police officer has been reported prompting the organisation to do a fact check. Africa Uncensored, through Piga Firimbi, an initiative that does fact checking have released a statement clarifying that the photo does not belong to a police officer but to one of their journalist during a previous arrest.
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Such a case could endanger the lives of journalists in their line of work. MCK asserted that the work of journalists is protected by the Constitution of Kenya in articles 33, 34, and 35 and there is a need for their efforts to be respected by all citizens.
