An NTV journalist found himself in trouble on Sunday while covering an DP William Ruto’s event at Murang’a county.
Nick Muiruri was arrested after differing with Ruto’s bodyguards during the launch of Kangari United Dairy Co-op Society Limited, in Kigumo constituency.
The journalist was accused of compromising DP Ruto’s security by obstructing his bodyguards, claims that he refuted, saying that he had no plans to cause trouble.
According to Muiruri, trouble began when he scrambled to get pictures of Ruto alongside his colleagues in a restricted area.
As he moved back to get a better shot, Muiruri stepped on one of the body guards.
“I was using my phone. While moving back to get a better angle of the DP, I accidentally stepped on one of the security detail’s feet,” Muiruri said.
He was immediately surrounded by other bodyguards who took his badge and frog-matched him out of the premises before handing him to the Kangari DCI officers.
The officers took him to the police station for questioning where he identified himself as an NTV journalist. He was grilled for hours with the officers informing him that the deputy president already had a media team.
As he was being grilled, the officers made calls to a man he believed was DP’s personal assistant Faruk Kibet.
“They were communicating back and forth. They asked him what I should be charged with. The Regional Commissioner and Sub County Police Commissioners were also involved in the communication,” Muiruri narrated.
Kibet later asked the police to release Muiruri once the DP left the area.
Muiruri said that he believes his misfortune was as a result of a strained relationship between the deputy president’s security team and journalists from NTV.
“On November 5, some journalists were covering Ruto in Gatanga, Ruto’s team claimed that the journalist went on to incorrectly report on the event,” he said.
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