Some of the journalists arrested as they covered the Tana and Athi River Development Authority (TARDA) demolitions at Mbeere in Kenya were assaulted by police during the arrests.
The journalists who were arrested alongside Mbeere South Member of Parliament Geoffrey King’ang’i have lamented their ordeal at the hands of police after they were released Saturday night.
They were arrested as they covered the demolitions and eviction of residents from Bondoni area of Embu county. And the actions by police did not stop there. They barred the journalists from reporting the matter, with officers at Kiritiri police station initially denying them p3 forms.
They however recorded statements after receiving treatment on Sunday.
According to the journalists, despite clearly identifying themselves, the officers simply ignored their badges.
Back in the affected villages, the flattening of what residents have known as home for years continued as they watched helplessly.
Acknowledging an eviction notice from the Tana and Athi River Development Authority (TARDA) requiring them to vacate the area next to Kiambere and Masinga dams, the residents are asking authorities to provide an alternative.
Schools and churches were not spared either with more than 300 pupils in three primary schools being left with no school.
The demolitions come barely a month after scores of the residents vowed to resist evictions by TARDA which has accused them of trespassing on its land.
