NACADA and KUJ condemns Violence attack on scribes at shisha joint, calls for justice
During a raid in Nairobi on Friday night, the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse harmed journalists from many media outlets as well as police personnel.
NACADA and KUJ condemns Violence attack on scribes at shisha joint, calls for justice
During a raid by NACADA at a shisha joint in Nairobi on Saturday, Friday 5, 2024, journalists and law enforcement officers were attacked violently. This was denounced by NACADA and the Kenya Union of Journalists.
Erick Oduor, the secretary general of KUJ, requested that law enforcement hold the nightclub’s owner accountable for the injuries and damages that police officers and journalists suffered.
According to Oduor’s assertions, Kenya is not the place for such untamed deeds.
Oduor in his statement also said that When it comes to public interests, journalists have every right to serve society, and violence cannot stop them from advocating for Kenya’s greater good
Oduor urged the police to make sure the attacked journalists received justice in a statement read today.
“We demand that punitive action be taken per the law and condemn this unjustified violence against journalists,” he declared.
During a raid in Nairobi on Friday night, the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse harmed journalists from many media outlets as well as police personnel.
Chief Executive Officer Antony Omerikwa of Nacada and Head of Enforcement Nicholas Kosgei oversaw the operation against shisha.
In 2017, Kenya prohibited the smoking of shisha, commonly referred to as water pipe, hookah, or hubble-bubble.
The product’s use, import, manufacturing, sale, promotion, and distribution were all prohibited. Offenders risk a minimum six-month jail sentence or fines beginning at Ksh50,000.
NACADA strongly condemns the violence Acts After NTV, KBC, Standard Journalists Attacked During Raid At Nairobi Nightclub
Stephen Mairori, the chair of the Nacada board, also denounced the violence and damage inflicted by the club’s bouncers.
NACADA board chair said, according to the law, journalists and police officers must carry out their duties while on duty without being coerced or threatened with violence. Mairori
Mairori emphasized in a statement to newsrooms that assaults on press personnel, security guards, and other authorized individuals going about their business are illegal.
The chair of the Nacada board pointed out that as a result, criminal proceedings against the perpetrators have begun, and they will appear in court to respond to several charges about the assault.
Mairori also praised the media for their assistance in the fight against drug and alcohol misuse in Kenya.
Incidents that transpired on the Night of the Raid
The journalists arrived at Kettle House Bar and Grill in Nairobi at approximately 11:00 p.m. accompanied by police officers, who had been called in to arrest club managers and customers for allegedly smoking shisha. The operation resulted in the confiscation of thirty shisha bongs and the arrest of twenty-one people, including the club manager.
When the scribes arrived, the club’s roughly eight bouncers charged at them, assaulting them and taking their recording equipment with force. The journalists suffered injuries and misplaced their possessions during the process.
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Journalist injured during the Raid
NMG photojournalist Boniface Bogita was stabbed twice in the ribs during the altercation, making him one of the injured parties.
While Standard Group photographers Boniface Okendo and Francis Odee were beaten and had their cameras seized, KBC journalist Jane Kibira was stabbed in the back as well.
Later, after seizing control of the situation, police officers detained the bouncers who had run away, changed into covert places, and hidden in the bar’s restrooms to escape being apprehended.
Additionally, a knife that was possibly used in the stabbings was found. They are being held at the Jogoo police station.
