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Kenyan Officials Fault Journalists for Coverage of Mall Attack Kenya Assails Coverage Of an Attack On a Mall
(about 4 hours later)
NAIROBI — Kenyan journalists came under threat this week from the Kenyan authorities over their coverage of last month’s Westgate mall attack, after video suggesting possible looting of the mall by Kenyan forces was aired on national television. NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan journalists came under threat this week from the authorities over their coverage of last month’s Westgate mall attack, after video suggesting possible looting by Kenyan forces was broadcast on national television.
Kenya’s criminal-investigations police unit on Thursday summoned three senior Kenyan media figures involved with a popular investigative television news program. It ran an hourlong special last week, and again this week, raising questions about the government’s response to the siege, with video footage of Kenyan security agents seemingly looking through mall merchandise while searching for the attackers who stormed the mall and killed 60 people. Kenya’s criminal-investigations police unit on Thursday summoned three senior Kenyan media figures involved with a popular investigative television news program. It ran an hourlong special last week, and again this week, raising questions about the government’s response to the siege, with footage of Kenyan security agents seemingly looking through mall merchandise while searching for the attackers who stormed the mall and killed more than 60 people.
In a speech on Wednesday, Kenya’s Inspector General David Kimaiyo lashed out more broadly at news coverage of the investigation into the Westgate attack, alleging that the news reports were meant to provoke and incite negative opinions of the country’s security forces. In a speech on Wednesday, Kenya’s inspector general, David Kimaiyo, lashed out more broadly at news coverage of the investigation into the Westgate attack, claiming that the news reports were meant to provoke and incite negative opinions of the country’s security forces.
“ There is a limit; that you need not to provocate a propaganda war: you need not to incite Kenyans,” said Mr. Kimaiyo. He said such acts had been “championed” by KTN, and that journalists engaged in such acts would be apprehended.” “There is a limit; that you need not to provocate a propaganda war, you need not to incite Kenyans,” Mr. Kimaiyo said. He said that such acts had been “championed” by the news station KTN, and that journalists engaged in such acts would be apprehended.
The Committee to Protect Journalists described Wednesday’s police statement and Thursday’s summoning of the media figures as the kind of “forced patriotism” that was “potentially a sign of a downward spiral of press freedom” in Kenya.The Committee to Protect Journalists described Wednesday’s police statement and Thursday’s summoning of the media figures as the kind of “forced patriotism” that was “potentially a sign of a downward spiral of press freedom” in Kenya.
The country is known to have one of the freest and most robust news industries in Africa, but it is currently facing two new bills that could change the industry landscape by giving sweeping new power over news organizations to the national minister of information.The country is known to have one of the freest and most robust news industries in Africa, but it is currently facing two new bills that could change the industry landscape by giving sweeping new power over news organizations to the national minister of information.
The police comments came days after closed-circuit television video from inside the Westgate mall during the attack appeared on national and international news media showing Kenyan security agents carrying full plastic shopping bags out of the Nakumatt supermarket in the Westgate mall, where the bulk of fighting took place. Shop owners from within the mall also raised concerns shortly after the attack that a wide range of merchandise had been taken. The police comments came days after closed-circuit television video from inside the Westgate mall during the attack appeared on national and international news media showing Kenyan security agents carrying full plastic shopping bags out of the Nakumatt supermarket in the mall, where the bulk of fighting took place. Shop owners from within the mall also raised concerns shortly after the attack that a wide range of merchandise had been taken.
The army and the chairman of a parliamentary committee investigating the Westgate attack have insisted that Kenyan forces did not participate in any looting of the mall, and Kenya’s army chief this week said the white plastic bags shown on television were filled with bottles of water to distribute to troops fighting the attackers. The army and the chairman of a parliamentary committee investigating the Westgate attack have insisted that Kenyan forces did not participate in any looting of the mall, and Kenya’s army chief this week said the white plastic bags shown on television were filled with bottles of water to distribute to those fighting the attackers.
In the police briefing Wednesday, Mr. Kimaiyo said the news media “need not distribute or maybe issue statements that can amount to hate speech.” In the police briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Kimaiyo said the news media “need not distribute or maybe issue statements that can amount to hate speech.”
By Thursday evening, it remained unclear whether the police would back down from the summonses, following widespread outcry from news and civil society organizations.By Thursday evening, it remained unclear whether the police would back down from the summonses, following widespread outcry from news and civil society organizations.
The investigation into the Westgate attack has raised more questions than provided answers. Over the course of the last month, the number of suspected attackers has changed drastically from an initial estimate of 10 to 15, which has since been trimmed to as low as four. The agencies leading and disseminating information about the investigation have also seemingly shifted in a Round Robin among the police, the army and the Internal Affairs Ministry. On Thursday, local news media reported that some of the remains said to be of terrorists found dead in the mall turned out to be “beef.” The investigation into the Westgate attack has raised more questions than provided answers. Over the last month, the number of suspected attackers has changed drastically, to as low as 4 from an initial estimate of 10 to 15.
The news station singled out by the police, KTN, showed video of what appear to be CCTV cameras capturing the attackers praying, resting and drinking water, and Kenyan security agents trying to open safe-vault-doors — both from the first days of the attack. The agencies leading and disseminating information about the investigation have also seemingly shifted in a round-robin among the police, the army and the Internal Affairs Ministry.
On Thursday, local news media reported that some of the remains said to be of terrorists found dead in the mall turned out to be beef.
The news station KTN showed video from what appeared to be closed-circuit cameras capturing the attackers praying, resting and drinking water, and Kenyan security agents trying to open safe vault-doors — both from the first days of the attack.
“We haven’t done anything that any other journalists wouldn’t do if they were looking for the truth,” said John Allan Namu, one of the program’s hosts from KTN. “It’s Journalism 101, but they want to paint it as a sustained attack against the military.”“We haven’t done anything that any other journalists wouldn’t do if they were looking for the truth,” said John Allan Namu, one of the program’s hosts from KTN. “It’s Journalism 101, but they want to paint it as a sustained attack against the military.”