NAKURU, Kenya — Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki, a Mediamax Limited employee and Kameme TV reporter, has reported receiving death threats after being shot during anti-government protests earlier this year.
Wanjeri filed a report at the Nakuru Police Station, voicing fears for her safety as she continues to seek justice for the shooting incident involving a rogue police officer.
Wanjeri disclosed to the media that she received a threatening phone call shortly after returning to Nakuru for a doctor’s appointment last week.
The caller warned her about pursuing the matter further, leaving her feeling unsafe and apprehensive.
“I do not feel safe in Nakuru or anywhere else in the country; the person who called me threatened me and warned me about the situation,” Wanjeri said. “Since that day, I have not felt safe in Nakuru or elsewhere.”
The journalist has been seeking reparation after being shot three times in the thigh by a police officer while covering protests.
The officer allegedly responsible remains at large, heightening Wanjeri’s fears for her own and her family’s safety.
“The person who shot me is still out there, still working, and we don’t even know what kind of powers they have in the National Police Service and what kind of protection they have,” she expressed. “I’m just a mere journalist, I have no protection at all, so I don’t feel safe.”
Since the shooting, Wanjeri has been recovering from surgery to remove rubber bullets from her thigh.
She has since taken to ignoring calls from unknown numbers, fearing further threats or worse. Despite wearing a jacket clearly labeled ‘Press’ during the protests, Wanjeri described how police officers appeared to target her.
“We were journalists from different media houses standing when I was shot,” she recounted. “My mum had called me 7 minutes before I was shot to tell me that I should be careful.”
Wanjeri’s ordeal during the Nakuru protests highlights concerns over police brutality and the targeting of journalists in Kenya.
She recalled the moments before being shot, noting that she had already been hit with a tear gas canister but chose not to report it at the time.
“Nobody would convince me that I was not a target,” Wanjeri asserted. “I showed my colleagues the scar on the same leg that I was shot at.”
