Goons, police top list of perpetrators in attacks against Kenyan journalists as violations more than double

Journalists during a past press conference. (Photo: UN/file)

Goons and police officers have emerged as the leading perpetrators of attacks against journalists in Kenya, accounting for 29 of the 47 press freedom violations documented by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) between July and September 2026.

According to the newly released report, criminal gangs and political activists were linked to 17 cases, while police officers accounted for 12 incidents during the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year.

Politicians were identified as perpetrators in eight cases, while six incidents involved individuals whose identities could not be established. Bodyguards, county government officials and bandits were each linked to one case.

The report documented different forms of violations, including physical attacks, threats, arrests, intimidation, abduction, harassment and surveillance, which interfered with journalists’ ability to carry out their professional duties.

Physical attacks were the most common form of violation, accounting for 34 of the 47 cases recorded during the three months.

Threats accounted for five cases, while arrests and intimidation were each recorded in two incidents. The Council also documented one case each of abduction, harassment, threat and assault, and surveillance.

The report also shows that male journalists accounted for 36 of the documented violations, while nine cases involved female journalists. Two other incidents involved journalists of both genders, whose individual gender identities were not available.

However, the Council cautioned against interpreting the figures to mean that female journalists face fewer safety risks.

“This trend partly reflects the deployment patterns in newsrooms, where male journalists are more often assigned high-risk stories than their female counterparts,” reads the report.

Nairobi recorded the highest number of press freedom violations, with 13 cases reported during the quarter. Homa Bay followed with eight incidents, while Meru recorded seven and Bungoma six.

Nyandarua had four cases, while Embu, Nakuru and Mombasa each recorded two incidents. Garissa recorded one case.

The figures show that the violations were reported across different parts of the country, affecting journalists working in both urban and rural areas.

Speaking during the presentation of the report, MCK Manager for Press Freedom, Safety and Advocacy Rebecca Mutiso warned that the situation could worsen as the country approaches the next General Election. She noted that some journalists have already expressed fears about covering election-related activities.

Despite Kenya improving to position 106 in the World Press Freedom Index, Mutiso cautioned that the country remains in the red zone, arguing that improved rankings would have little meaning without addressing impunity against journalists.

“Rankings mean nothing without ending impunity,” she said, calling for collective action to safeguard journalists and protect press freedom in the country.

The latest figures represent a sharp increase compared to the previous two years. Between July and September 2024, MCK recorded 24 cases of press freedom violations before the number dropped to 17 during the same period in 2025.

However, the number rose sharply to 47 in the first quarter of 2026/2027, marking the highest number of violations recorded over the three years.

Kenya was ranked 106th in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, making it the highest-ranked country among the six East African nations listed in the report. Tanzania followed at position 117, while Burundi was ranked 119th.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) occupied position 130, followed by Uganda at position 131. Rwanda had the lowest ranking among the six countries, coming in at position 139.