Standard Group and KTN on the spot for instigating the prosecution of its own employee
For Duncan Lilande, June 25th was one of those special days a cameraman gets the chance to show his prowess in live coverage. It was a hot but humid Saturday at Daystar University and the institution, which was holding its graduation, had contracted KTN to cover the event live.
But what appears to be gross negligence among the outside broadcast (OB) team has returned to haunt Lilande, whose video camera mysteriously disappeared that day as the OB team was busy folding their paraphernalia. The Ksh1.6 million SONY PW400 has not been traced ever since and has become a police case that landed Duncan in court today.
Dancun, who joined KTN about five months ago, today was arraigned in Mavoko Magistrate Court on charges of stealing the camera and one battery all valued at Ksh1,559,587 on June 25th at Daystar University in Athi River, the property of Standard Media Group.
Colleagues who were with him when the camera disappeared – Daniel Opondo, Geoffrey Miring’u, Fidelis Kioko, Xavier Ouma and Nicholas Aruse – have been lined up as witnesses against their colleague. Duncan has been remanded at Kitengela police station pending hearing of the case on July 26th, after the family failed to raise the Ksh500,000 bond to have him released.
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The move has put Standard Group on the spotlight and KTN for instigating the arrest and prosecution of its own employee. After the camera disappeared Standard Group dispatched Athi River police officers to investigate the matter and it’s not apparent why they zeroed in on Duncan.
But how the camera vanished in the presence of about five people remains a mystery and it will be interesting to see the evidence the police have dug out on Duncan, whom colleagues at KTN describe as a hard working young man who was looking forward to being employed by the Standard Group. “He was still a correspondent and was hopeful of being employed,” said a colleague who requested not to be named.
