Nation journalists released after arrest at hotel linked to government official

Two Nation Media Group journalists who were arrested in Mombasa in what seemed an infringement of press freedom were  released without any charges being conferred upon them by police.

Bamburi police station OCS Stanley Muinde told Nation on Thursday the two were arrested after the contractor of a hotel in Shanzu complained that the journalists were taking photos and footage illegally.

Nation had earlier reported that two of its journalists had been arrested.

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A Breaking News report appearing on the Nation website said the two reporters were detained while filming the construction of a hotel which the media house says has encroached into the Indian Ocean. According to Nation, the contentious multi-billion hotel is associated with a top government official.

The arrested journalists were identified as Karim Rajan, who is NTV’s senior Coast cameraman and Daily Nation photographer Laban Walloga.

#UPDATE: Nation reporters Karim Rajan and Laban Walloga arrested by police in Shanzu, Mombasa, for filming upcoming hotel that has encroached the ocean. pic.twitter.com/7yu3X5HZXI

— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) August 16, 2018

The incident at Shanzu, Mombasa is reported to have been supervised by a senior police officer from Bamburi police station. Nation sources alleged the orders for the arrest of the two journalists came from “above”. The Nation news report had also quoted Mombasa police commander Johnston Ipara as saying, “I do not want to be involved in that issue.”

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Another journalist,  Daily Nation reporter Winnie Atieno, is said to have escaped an attack by construction workers. Ms. Atieno filmed the workers harassing the arrested reporters which included the confiscation of the journalists’s official duty gadgets. Nation says that a fight also ensued between Mr. Rajan and the workers as he tried to stop the workers from taking away the gadgets.

#UPDATE: NTV cameraman Karim Rajan and @dailynation photographer Laban Walloga roughed up by workers constructing a multibillion hotel in Shanzu, Mombasa, said to be owned by a top government official & blocking the beach. pic.twitter.com/2exbOjLEw4

— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) August 16, 2018

On it’s twitter page, NTV posted a video of the altercation between the journalists and the construction workers. NTV also tweeted that the upcoming hotel is blocking the beach.