Kenya Editors Guild condemns attack on NMG journalist Habil Kweyu

Kweyu, a Nation Media Group journalist, was attacked while covering the victims of boda boda-linked attacks. He had visited Gospel musician Jimmy Gait in hospital, who was recuperating from an attack by boda boda assailants.

Later that same evening, while heading home after watching an evening football match, he was accosted by three men on a motorbike. They attacked him with a machete and severely injured his face, leaving him with deep cuts on the nose and eye.

KEG condemned the attack, terming it a grave and unacceptable act of violence, noting that nobody should be subjected to such levels of brutality.

"The fact that a journalist is among the latest victims underscores the deepening insecurity facing residents of the capital. Organized gangs continue to terrorize motorists, pedestrians, business owners, and commuters with alarming audacity," KEG President Zubeida Kananu said in a statement.

"This incident highlights the urgent need to restore public safety and decisively dismantle criminal networks operating within the city and the growing state of anarchy that is not limited to Nairobi but is rampant across the country."

The Guild faulted Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, his Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, as well as Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, demanding that they be held accountable for the rising state of escalating unrest by boda boda assailants.

It therefore called for an expeditious probe to apprehend those responsible, urging the Nairobi County leadership to collaborate closely with security agencies to enhance safety within the city. 

"We stand in solidarity with the injured photojournalist and all victims of these attacks, and we reaffirm our commitment to advocating for a safe environment in which journalists — and indeed all citizens — can carry out their daily lives without threat or intimidation," Ms. Kananu stated.

Kweyu has undergone corrective surgeries and is recuperating at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi.