VOA correspondent and producer detained ahead of election results
August 10, 2017
VOA Nairobi correspondent, Jill Craig, along with the Nairobi bureau TV producer, Amos Wangwa, were taken to the Killimani police station on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital. They were out reporting ahead of the announcement of poll results. A car with four plain-clothed men who claimed to be police officers from the Criminal Investigation Division stopped their vehicle and accused them of handing out money to youth to start trouble. Police told Craig that an informant had called to report her and Wangwa. VOA’s Vincent Makori, host of English to Africa’s Africa 54 TV program, also in Nairobi covering the elections, went to the Killimani police station to assist with negotiations. Makori, a native of Kenya and a well-known face in the region, was recognized by the officers. After discussions with the police chief and his deputy, Craig and Wangwa were released and able to continue with their reporting. The entire incident lasted about an hour. The PAO at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi later informed Craig that the ambassador raised the issue with Kenya’s foreign minister, Amina Mohamed.