A Kenyan journalist is recuperating after suffering injuries in a violent assault by known attackers in Homa Bay County, shortly after releasing an investigative piece on corruption within the county government.

Habil Onyango of The People Daily was abducted and tortured on Friday, September 12, following his report that exposed how a county official was allegedly accepting bribes and enabling illegal hiring through forged documents.

Onyango said the assailants pressured him to issue a public apology and retract allegations involving a woman named in his corruption investigation.

“They are being given fake letters from the county department’s public service board, the county secretary, so it was published in the People Daily on Friday.

“So, not knowing, there was a victim…someone who was mentioned who was involved in this case, was around so they ordered me to make an apology immediately, to write a story apologizing that the lady was not involved in such a case,” Onyango explained, adding “But I told them, such a story cannot run immediately, it was not breaking news.”

The journalist’s exposé uncovered that bogus appointment letters were being issued through the County Public Service Board and the County Secretary’s office, enabling fraudulent recruitment within the county government.

After being freed, Onyango received medical care for the injuries he suffered during the attack.

The Homa Bay County Journalists’ Union has since denounced the assault and urged authorities to take swift action.

“We really want to appeal to the security agencies to ensure that these known goons are arrested, prosecuted, and also, let’s ensure that the lives of journalists in Homa Bay are really protected,” said Philip Osewe, a fellow journalist from Homa Bay and a union representative.

“The Constitution of the Republic of Kenya is very clear on the responsibilities and the role of the media, and we will not be cowed.”

The union underscored the gravity of the incident, stressing that Onyango was lucky to escape with his life, and the outcome could have been far worse.

In its appeal to county leadership, the journalists’ union urged Governor Gladys Wanga to act firmly against those behind the attack, pointing out Beatrice Akugo as a figure they associate with the incident.

“We want to ask Her Excellency the Governor to rein on this terror. One Beatrice Akugo is somebody known to us, and we want to demand that if she can hire goons to attack one Abele Onyango, then an action must be taken against her by Her Excellency the Governor,” another union representative demanded.

Neither Mediamax Networks Limited, parent company of People Daily, nor the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) nor any other media watchdog had commented on the matter by the time of publishing this story.

Maleve’s colleagues had claimed that the arrest was linked to an article he had written calling Kitui South MP, Rachael Nyamai, “Queen of Corruption.”

The article published on Hopkin Media website, which he worked for, had alleged that Nyamai was linked to allegations of significant corruption and misappropriation of constituency resources through clandestine operations.