EDITORIAL: Police must protect journalists, not attack them

The scenes witnessed at Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday after the FKF Super Cup final should concern everyone who cares about the future of Kenyan football and the country’s democratic values.

Tusker FC had just defeated Gor Mahia 3-1 to lift the FKF Super Cup when chaos erupted inside and around the stadium. Police officers fired teargas as tensions rose, with journalists caught up in the melee. Some members of the media were reportedly harassed and injured while carrying out their work.

This was unacceptable and should not be normalised at Kenyan sporting events.

Football matches are supposed to bring Kenyans together. They are places where fans celebrate, debate, disagree and support their teams. They should not become environments where journalists fear for their safety simply because they are documenting what is happening.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow Kenya Frontline WhatsApp channel for more news

Journalists attending sporting events are not part of the confrontation. Their responsibility is to report, photograph, film and tell the public what happened. They should therefore be protected, particularly during moments of tension.

Journalists Should Never Be Targets

Sports journalists in Kenya should boycott the new Kenya Premier League season until their safety and security can be guaranteed. Today’s attempted abduction and arbitrary arrests of accredited journalists covering the FKF Super Cup between Tusker FC and Gor Mahia at Nyayo… pic.twitter.com/dkL4TvUMaK

— Saddique Shaban (@SaddiqueShaban) August 23, 2026

Police officers have a difficult responsibility when dealing with unruly crowds. They must maintain order and protect lives and property. However, maintaining law and order does not give security officers a licence to treat journalists as targets.

A journalist wearing a press badge, carrying a camera or holding a microphone should not have to worry about being caught in a police operation simply because they are doing their job.

The use of teargas in a crowded stadium environment is itself a matter that deserves scrutiny. Security agencies must ensure that their response to disorder is proportionate and carefully targeted. Innocent spectators, players, officials and members of the media can easily be affected when force is used indiscriminately.

The incident also comes at a particularly important time for Kenyan football.

Kenya is preparing to host major international football events, including the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania. The country will be under the international spotlight, and the way authorities handle fans, players, officials and journalists will contribute to how Kenya is perceived.

The last thing Kenya needs is an image of football stadiums where journalists are harassed or injured by security officers.

Sunday’s events should therefore not simply be dismissed as another incident at a football match.

FKF Must Address the Nyayo Incident

The Football Kenya Federation has a responsibility to address what happened and establish what led to journalists being caught up in the police operation. FKF should engage the relevant security authorities and media representatives to ensure that clear protocols are in place before future matches.

Journalists should know where they can safely operate. Security officers should know how to distinguish members of the media from fans involved in disorder. There should also be clear communication between stadium security, police, FKF officials and accredited media teams.

Such measures are not complicated. They are basic requirements for any country seeking to host international sporting events.

Survived an abduction attempt, Tim Olubulu @Dollar SM asanteni sana.@Jeff Kinyanjui till when will journalists be harassed in our line of duty? Till when are we going to condemn this behavior is well written press release? When are we going to see an end to this?@TeyaKevin pic.twitter.com/q9zOiljz79

— Hesbon Nyamari⚽️ (@Hesbon_nyamari) August 23, 2026

The media fraternity deserves a clear explanation of what happened at Nyayo. If journalists were deliberately targeted, those responsible should be held accountable. If the injuries and harassment resulted from poor coordination, then the authorities must correct the failures before another match is played.

Kenyan football cannot afford a situation where journalists begin avoiding stadiums because they fear for their safety.

The media plays an important role in growing the sport. Journalists tell the stories of players, clubs and fans. They provide scrutiny of football administrators and help promote competitions that depend on public interest.

That relationship should not be adversarial.

Police and journalists may have different responsibilities, but both serve the public. Security officers are expected to protect people, while journalists are expected to inform them. Neither role should interfere with the other when both sides are performing their duties professionally.

Tusker FC deserved to have its 3-1 victory over Gor Mahia celebrated as the headline from Sunday’s match. Instead, the conversation has also been dominated by scenes of teargas and reports of journalists being harassed and injured.

That is unfortunate for Kenyan football.

The incident should be a wake-up call to FKF, stadium authorities and the security agencies. Kenya has time to learn from what happened and improve its match-day security arrangements before the country enters an even bigger international football spotlight.

The approach should be simple: protect fans, protect players, protect officials and protect journalists.

The 2027 AFCON preparations should be about showing the continent that Kenya can host football at the highest level. Incidents involving the harassment of journalists by police send the opposite message.

FKF should take the matter seriously, engage all the relevant parties and ensure that journalists can do their work without intimidation.

Football should unite Kenyans. It should never be a place where those documenting the game become victims of the chaos surrounding it.