Police injure two NMG journalists covering students’ demo
Two Nation Media Group journalists are nursing injuries in the wake of an attack by Ugandan police officers while covering demonstrations in Kampala.
Alex Esagala, a photojournalist with Daily Monitor was injured while covering protests by Makerere University students.
He was clad in a fully branded jacket showing he is a media person on Sir Apollo Kagwa Road but police still fired two teargas canisters at him.
“It was while I was composing to take shots of the students’ demonstration that the tear gas canister exploded between my legs,” he said.
Geoffrey Twesigye, a photographer with NTV Uganda, was also caught in the crossfire.
JOURNALISTS BLAMED
The duo was taken to hospital where they were still receiving treatment.
But Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango blamed the journalists for getting caught up in the fracas.
“We always advise journalists that in this kind of operation they should just move near us because tear gas doesn’t discriminate,” Onyango told the Daily Monitor.
He however promised to investigate the incident.