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Journalists barred from covering
"operation" in Kibera
Published on January 18, 2008, 12:00 am
By Samuel Otieno and Cyrus Ombati
Journalists once again faced the wrath of police last evening when
they were forced out of Kibera where GSU officers were conducting
an operation.
Angry GSU officers cordoned off the entrance to the slums to bar
journalists from witnessing the operation, which left four people
killed.
The officers, armed with batons, guns and teargas canisters had
earlier engaged the demonstrators, who were armed with slings and
stones, in fierce running battles.
The police at one point targeted a teenager in a red T-shirt who
had earlier smashed the windscreen of a lorry carrying the
officers with a stone from a sling.
Officers inside the lorry were angered by the boy’s action and
pursued him inside the slums.
Journalists who were following the officers were shocked when the
police turned on them and blocked the way to prevent them from
covering the operation.
From a distance, journalists witnessed how the officers threw
teargas canisters inside the shacks where the residents had taken
refuge.
But when the officers realised that photojournalists were filming
them, they threw a teargas canister to scare them away.
However, journalists were determined to carry on with their job
and continued to film as the GSU officers sprayed the shacks with
live ammunition.
In addition, they ensured that they dropped teargas canisters in
areas they suspected that the demonstrators had taken refuge.
On Wednesday, police had lobbed teargas canisters to journalists
covering the ODM demonstrations.
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