Kenyan journalist Catherine Wanjeri wa Kariuki shot in leg covering protests

Kampala, July 16, 2024 —Kenyan authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the July 16 shooting of journalist Catherine Wanjeri wa Kariuki as she covered ongoing protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

Kariuki, a reporter for the privately owned Mediamax Network Ltd media group, was shot three times with rubber bullets across her left thigh as she covered anti-government in Nakuru County, according to Greg Onyango, a local journalist who was with Kariuki during the incident and spoke to CPJ, a statement by the Media Council of Kenya, a statutory industry regulator, local news reports, and a video of the incident posted on X. The video shows armed officers firing from a Kenya Police-marked pick-up truck and Kariuki, who was wearing a press vest, screaming on the ground after she was struck.

Onyango told CPJ on the evening of July 16 that had just left the hospital where Kariuki was in surgery. “She was stable but in a lot of pain,” he said.

“The shooting of journalist Catherine Wanjeri wa Kariuki as she covered protests in Kenya is a deeply alarming development in a pattern of violence faced by the press covering recent demonstrations,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program, in New York. “Kenyan police should be focused on ensuring the safety of journalists, not targeting them with violence or detention, and authorities should act swiftly to hold accountable those responsible.”

Thousands of Kenyans have repeatedly taken to the streets since June 18 to protest a proposed law that would significantly increase taxes and express broader concerns about governance in the country. Security personnel have violently engaged and briefly detained journalists covering the demonstrations.

Kenya’s police spokesperson Resila Atieno Onyango and the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) chairperson Ann Makori did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment via messaging app.

Editor’s note: The photo caption in this alert has been updated with the journalist’s full name.