3 journalists who were stuck in Kapedo for 7 days rescued

Police officers have evacuated three Turkana-based journalists who had been trapped in the volatile Kapedo for the last seven days.

The three: Citizen TV’s Emannuel Cheboit, NTV’s Peter Warutumu and Radio Maisha’s Mike Ekutani were trapped after an attack in the region saw a GSU operations commander killed at the Ameyan bridge.

They reportedly traveled from Lodwar where they were to cover a public Baraza and a food-distribution last week.

After the event which lasted around five hours, the three were leaving when they got information that a GSU operation commander had been killed some 7 kilometers from Kapedo.

All the routes they could have used to escape were potentially risky, forcing them to flee into a house within Kapedo where they waited the skirmishes to dissipate.

“We went through a terrible experience because we were hearing gunshots that we have never witnessed in our lifetime,” Warutumo said.

Cheboit pointed out that another reason why they had to stay in the area for seven more days was because bandits had flattened the tyres of one of the Armored Personnel Courier (APC) that was to rescue them.

He said that they started to run out of food and their cloths were getting dirty since they had not been prepared.

Radio Maisha’s Ekutan said that during the embroilment, they never talked to their families and relatives, some of whom had grown restless.

The journalists spoke at Kabarnet town after they were brought back safely by police officers.