Nation Media Group (NMG) has condemned an attack on its Nakuru-based photojournalist John Njoroge by a section of Zoo FC fans that happened on Sunday at Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology in Nakuru county.
Due to the crowd trouble, the match ended 1-0 in favour of Nairobi United.
Apart from assaulting the photographer, they also tore his shirt in the presence of police officers who were providing security in the match.
NMG Lead Editor- Sports and Integration Projects Elias Makori, has strongly condemned the attack on Njoroge.
“We strongly condemn this dastardly act with the strongest possible terms. Such assault has no place in modern society, let alone on the football field. We have raised the issue with the Football Kenya Federation who say their league and competitions committee will meet and dissect the incident,” said Makori.
“The matter is also being handled by the police and we hope solid action will be taken – within the realm of Kenyan law – against Zoo FC collectively as a club, and against the individual goons whose actions are well documented. They must be made to pay for the damage they caused on Njoroge’s professional equipment and also for the trauma visited on his person,” added Makori.
Zoo FC woes continue to haunt them. In April 2021, Fifa relegated Zoo FC to the third tier league after being involved in match fixing. The Fifa Disciplinary Committee on June 21, 2023 slapped them with a Sh6 million fine for failing to comply with Fifa.
The fans had stormed the pitch in protest after the fourth official Kelvin Maina had indicated five minutes of added time. The fans wanted Maina to add more time so that the team could score an equaliser.
Sport Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) Secretary General Moses Wakhisi in a statement on Monday asked FKF to act on the matter.
“This incident egregiously violates the fundamental rights of journalists and stands as a challenge that we believe warrants your immediate attention and intervention. We urgently implore the FKF to take stern and unambiguous measures against the individuals responsible for this reprehensible act, as well as the club so as to underscore the gravity of their fans’ behaviour,” said Wakhisi.
“We, however, beseech your unwavering commitment to address this matter with the urgency and gravity it deserves. Let us unite to send a clear message that harassment of journalists, particularly within the realm of sports, will not be tolerated. The sanctity of press freedom and the security of journalists are essential tenets of our democratic society and must be rigorously upheld,” added Wakhisi.
FKF CEO Barry Otieno on Monday stated that:
“The matter has been referred to the FKF Leagues and Competitions committee for a decision. Once that decision is out then we can judge. We are not happy but there are processes that must be followed. What happened to the NMG photographer was really wrong. The safety and well-being of all involved in making football a success are key.”
Njoroge has since reported the matter to Nakuru Central Police Station for further investigations.
“My camera was totally damaged and now it cannot work properly because it has lost its focus. Because of the confrontation, I got body harm and this resulted from protecting my camera that they were targeting to take away. Some of the security officers did not bother to intervene, only three of them came to my rescue when things started getting out of hand,” said Njoroge.
“It came to my attention that journalists are always attacked during Zoo matches and it’s so unfortunate that I was in my line of duty, this is so uncalled for,” added Njoroge.
There were clashes as fans also tried to attack other match officials on the pitch that forced centre referee Meshack Omondo to call off the match at the 90th minute. Nairobi United were given a direct promotion to the National Super League (NSL).
Nairobi United’s lone goal was scored by substitute Brian Lusamukhwa in the 75th minute.
