Two Citizen Tv journalists were last night arrested in a curfew clash with police officers in Uasin Gishu County.
This was confirmed by the Royal Media Services (RMS) Managing Director Wachira Waruru who through a phone conversation with a local blog stated that the two journalists were however later released.
Waruru additionally stated that they were yet to investigate the motive of their arrest.
“It is true the correspondents were taken into custody where they were held briefly before being released. We are still investigating the motive for their arrest,” he stated.
Read: Police Officer Harasses Journalist Hours Before Dusk Till Dawn Curfew
The details leading to the arrest indicated that the journalists were interviewing people after curfew hours which according to the police was going against government directives.
Ideally, the netizens had staged protests calling upon the Government to extend the curfew hours so that they can be able to fend for their families and put food on the table.
They additionally challenged the state to supply them with food for the curfew directive to be obeyed and followed.
“Imagine hawking has been banned in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and most of us here have been depending on this kind of business for years, how will we survive? Were it not for the curfew, we could be hawking here in the estate at night to earn a living,” stated a resident in the region.
On March 25, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the dusk till dawn countrywide curfew effective Friday, March 27, 2020.
However, essential services were exempted from the curfew which included health workers, National Security, Administration and Coordination officers, Public Health and Sanitization Officers in the County Governments, licensed pharmacies and drug stores, licensed broadcasters and media houses and Kenya Power.
Also exempted from the dusk to dawn curfew were food dealers distributors, wholesalers and transporters of farm produce, licensed supermarkets, mini markets and hypermarkets, licensed distributors and retailers of petroleum and oil products and lubricants, licensed telecommunication operators and service providers, licensed banks, financial institutions and payment financial services, fire brigade and other emergency response services and licensed security firms.
Read Also: President Uhuru Announces Daily Curfew From 7 Pm To 5 Am Starting Friday
On the first day of the curfew, however, confrontations were witnessed in various parts of the country as citizens clashed with police. There were also instances of police brutality and journalists being assaulted, despite being listed among the essential services exempted from the curfew.
Also, some people who were believed to be distributors who were working in the food industry were harassed and stopped from making their deliveries.
This move, according to the Head of State was aimed to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has currently totaled 42 cases and 1 death in the country.
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