The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keriako Tobiko on Thursday refused to receive a petition by journalists who are complaining over the increasing attacks against them.
The journalists who had visited the DPP’s office at NSSF building in Nairobi on Thursday to present their petition were disappointed as the DPP refused to address them.
The DPP said he could not address a ‘baraza’ referring to hundreds of journalists who had camped outside his office.
Tobiko had earlier agreed to meet representatives of the journalists in his boardroom a move that did not go well with the scribes.
The journalists declined DPP’s position to meet their representatives only and demanded that he address them as a group.
“I cannot address a public ‘baraza’, I need you to select representatives to meet me and I will receive your petition,” he said through his Principal Public Communication Officer (PPCO), Hillary Mongera.
Journalists who had camped at Tobiko's office for close to one hour were left a disappointed lot.
They accused the DPP of failing to speed up cases where their colleagues have been attacked and even killed.
“Cases of journalists who have been killed in the past are stalling in courts and yet the DPP can afford to snub us,” said a journalist working with a local TV station.
Cases of journalists being attacked in their line of duty have been on the rise recently.
On Wednesday night a freelance photographer Dennis Otieno based in Kitale was killed by unknown people at his Kibomet home.
The photographer's camera was also stolen by the killers.
Last week, a Standard journalists based in Kilifi died mysteriously after allegedly having lunch with a local politician.
Two other journalists were on Monday attacked and beaten by guards at Kakuzi Company in Murang’a County as they cover protests over land issues at the company.
Such cases have raised concerns over the security of journalists.