When a reporter became a report: Journalist recounts a night of horror

TV 47 journalist Mike Kaguongo. The scribe was attacked on Friday 8th January 2021. Photo: Courtesy

It was on Friday, 8th Jan 2021 at around 2300hrs when I was going home from work. Suddenly, a tuktuk stopped by, with five men on board.
At first I thought a passenger was alighting. But alas! One of the guys accosted me in the name of a police officer, asking why I didn’t have my mask on.
Abruptly, he snatched my phone and passed it over to his friends back in the tuktuk.
They were about to take off when the driver asked them to take me with them to the station, which I agreed.
However, I felt something was not adding up so I preferred hanging by the door.
They turned and headed towards the station, my residence being along the route.

I beseeched them to return my phone, in exchange with the cash I had with me, but to no avail. They instead kept punching me in the head, barking ‘acha tufike kwanza’ (wait until we reach the station)..
At the back of my mind I was conjuring up a plan jump off the tuktuk once we reached my residence and call for help from my neighbors, which I did.
Upon reaching my place, I shoved my way out of the tuktuk, and managed to pull one of them from outside.
I engaged him in a fight, before his accomplices came to his rescue. That’s when I began shouting for help.
Fortunately, my neighbors arrived and by then I was in a fist-fight with four thugs.
My neighbors’ arrival to the scene scared the thugs, who fled immediately.
I however, managed to get hold of one of them.
I was exhausted and eventually became unconscious.
When I finally came around I discovered that irate neighbors had attacked the suspect.
That’s when one of my neighbors offered me a phone and I called my wife, whom I instructed to contact my colleagues to come over and take me to hospital. She was in the village, in Kitale. In about 20mins or thereabout, one John Makuba arrived and rushed me to Dawameds hospital where I was admitted till the following day. The suspect was however apprehended and arraigned in court on Monday 11th Jan 2021.
The matter is now a case sub judice , and I thank God l’m getting better. A skull x-ray was done, and fortunately there was no any fracture.

I thank all who stood with me in prayers and any kind of assistance to save my life. God bless you all.

Mike Kaguongo
Correspondent Tv 47, Bungoma

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About the Author

Antony Nyongesa
I'm an avid reader, a novelist, producer and journalist with a nose for news. Mine is to tell the truth; truth and nothing but the truth.