NTV cameraman Eric Isinta and other journalists injured by tear gas canisters.
The attacks on journalists appear to be a well-choreographed scheme aimed at scaring away the media from covering the protests.
The incident happened in Embakasi Thursday as Raila Odinga's convoy was travelling through Pipeline amid protests.
Trouble started after the Azimio leader left Kware to join the Outer Ring road at the intersection with Mombasa road. It was at this point that the police vehicles with water cannons blocked Mr Odinga’s motorcade and started spraying it with water.
According to witnesses, as this happened, a police officer who was standing next to the water cannons hurled a teargas canister at the convoy carrying Mr Odinga's public address system.
A targeted attack from dozens of tear gas canisters followed that affected a number of journalists including Mr Isinta. All occupants of the vehicle were taken down and scattered from the scene despite their injuries. Witnesses also reported seeing a plain clothes officer smash the vehicle's windows and fire teargas into the car to smoke the occupants out.
On Thursday evening, Mr Odinga published photos taken from the scene. The impact ruptured the skin on the journalist’s jawbone just below the face and immediately began bleeding after which he was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Standard journalist Timon Abuna was also wounded in the head during the attack.
According to the Media Council of Kenya, at least 25 journalists have been targeted by both police officers and protesters since the demonstrations began on March 20.
The most affected are camerapersons and photographers who have been targeted by the perpetrators of acts of hooliganism and criminality whose interest is to destroy any evidence of their acts captured on camera.
During the Thursday protests in Nairobi’s pipeline estate, an ununiformed police officer was recorded smashing the windows of a Toyota Prado and lobbing teargas canisters inside the vehicle at close range.
The incident has elicited mixed reactions from Kenyans, even as the car's ownership remains unknown.
African Uncensored, alongside other media sources, reported that the vehicle was ferrying a media team. The vehicle, whose number plates seemed to have been altered using black tape, was the topic of debate on social media, with some also questioning why a media vehicle would have speakers on the roof.
Others argued that if the vehicle was ferrying journalists, it should have had a sticker bearing the words, PRESS.
Nyali MP Mohammed Ali, a former investigative journalist who was not at the scene, took to Twitter to blame his former colleagues for the unfortunate incident.
“Look at this number plate closely its KDD 233P but taped KBB 233B. It's not a media car it is loaded with speakers, mistake the journalist did was to be embedded with politicians. Dangerous trend for journalists. They must choose to report facts or be Azimio gun for hire, which they are,” he said attracting backlash.
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