Citizen TV journalist Odee Francis was briefly arrested by police on Tuesday, October 20, while covering demonstrations against rising fuel prices along Kimathi Street in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).
The journalist was reportedly harassed and physically manhandled by officers who approached him as he covered protesters expressing their opposition to the rising cost of fuel.
Video footage seen by Vantage Ke showed a group of plainclothes police officers dragging Odee along Kimathi Street, near the Kenyatta Avenue junction and a few metres from Sarova Stanley Hotel. The officers subsequently bundled him into a waiting police Land Cruiser.
The arrest went ahead despite protests from members of the public and fellow journalists, who appealed to the officers to release Odee and reminded them that he was performing his journalistic duties.
Odee was also seen pleading with the officers to allow him to continue covering the demonstrations. However, the officers appeared to ignore his requests and proceeded to take him into custody.
According to Citizen TV, Odee was reporting on protests against high fuel prices in Nairobi's CBD when the incident occurred.
The demonstrations also witnessed police officers roughing up activists who had taken to the streets to protest against the fuel price increases.
At the time of publication, the National Police Service (NPS), the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), the Kenya Editors Guild and Royal Media Services management had not released official statements concerning the journalist's arrest.
Meanwhile, the Crime Journalists Association of Kenya (CJAK) condemned Odee's arrest and alleged assault, calling on the NPS and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate the incident and ensure that any officers found culpable are held accountable.
Odee was later released from Nairobi's Central Police Station following his arrest.
The incident comes amid persistent concerns over press freedom and the safety of journalists covering demonstrations across Kenya. According to the Media Council of Kenya, 92 press freedom violations were documented in 2025, representing a decline from the 130 cases recorded in 2024. Physical assaults accounted for 67 per cent of the reported incidents.
The council's 2026 report further indicated that police officers were responsible for 25 per cent of the violations recorded in 2025, while county government officials accounted for 49 per cent. The findings have raised concerns about the safety of journalists reporting on public affairs.
Elsewhere, the International Press Institute (IPI) documented nearly 100 cases of threats and attacks against journalists across 22 sub-Saharan African countries between April and June 2026. Police and state security agencies were identified as perpetrators in 55 per cent of the cases.
Journalists covering demonstrations remain particularly vulnerable to confrontations with security personnel, especially when officers move to disperse crowds or arrest protesters.
