Journalism is a job for the passion that has its own consequences. Once in a while, many have stumbled upon stories that have seriously endangered their life due to the nature of the story and the negative impact it carries.
However bold these men and women look when they hold their microphones reporting, these professionals are as well scared when it comes to there safety. As they say, no story is worth dying for.
In following the advice, one Emmanuel Cheboit a Citizen TV reporter has decided to seek refuge in a special hide-out before bloggers turned goons hurt him for carrying out a controversial relief food in Turkana story that has already seen one of the interviewed kidnapped.
The relief food in question had allegedly been donated by Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko to the hunger-strike Turkana residents. However, sources interviewed by Cheboit narrated that the residents had not received the food.
The journalist, speaking on the telephone from his hideout, said he went underground for fear the “hit men” might go for him.
“I felt I was not safe after unknown people abducted a source who had narrated to me how the food disappeared. I fear for my life. This is not the first time journalists have been threatened here,” Mr. Cheboit said.
He said no one had threatened him, but that he decided to go into hiding as a precaution.
An undated three-minute video clip that went viral on social media shows a frail-looking and frightened Maraka in a deserted place, refuting claims that county officials were involved in the theft of relief food. Days earlier, he had been quoted as saying: “Shame on the thieves who stole relief food.”
“A Turkana county blogger sent a message to all WhatsApp groups in Turkana county warning all those that were interviewed to stay vigilant,” one of the interviewees told reporters.