OL KALOU, Nyandarua- A Star newspaper photojournalist was beaten and robbed of his camera on Thursday while covering the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, in what has become the latest attack on journalists reporting from the high-stakes vote.
The photographer was attacked by a group of masked, armed men moving in three Toyota Prado SUVs, a squad that has also been linked to attacks on other media crews and disruptions at several polling stations across the constituency.
According to eyewitnesses, the assailants confronted the photojournalist while he was documenting the voting exercise before assaulting him and making away with his camera.
The attack disrupted the voting exercise.
The incident came shortly after a Nation Media Group television crew was attacked at A.C. Primary School polling station.
According to Nation, an NTV cameraman was reportedly tased, beaten and robbed of his camera, while a reporter had a mobile phone taken away at gunpoint by masked men.
The latest assault has heightened concerns over the safety of journalists covering the Ol Kalou by-election, despite an extensive security deployment across the constituency.
Earlier, the National Police Service announced that more than 1,000 police officers, including personnel drawn from the General Service Unit (GSU), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), had been deployed to secure polling stations, election officials, voters and election materials throughout the exercise. Reports of attacks by armed men have, however, raised fresh questions over the effectiveness of the security operation.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election has attracted national attention as a key political contest between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP). Thousands of voters turned out from as early as 6 a.m., with long queues witnessed at polling stations across the constituency.
The attacks on journalists occurred as voting continued peacefully in most parts of the constituency, although isolated security incidents were reported during the day.