Nairobi Politician’s Goons Target Larry Madowo During Protests
CNN international correspondent Larry Madowo has dropped a bombshell, accusing a Nairobi politician of paying extra Ksh100,000 to hired goons who attack him.
Speaking on Monday, at the height of the Saba Saba riots, Madowo said that the thugs had acknowledged the deal on video because they had not been adequately reimbursed during prior rallies.
Undeterred, the journalist clarified that he had made prior preparations to be in Nigeria as an international correspondent, which was why he missed the protests.
“We will not be intimidated. Journalism is not a crime,” Madowo declared.
Aside from the preparations to attack, beat him up, and destroy his equipment, he also highlighted the government’s incendiary social media posts.
A Nairobi politician offered paid goons a bonus if they attacked me while covering protests.
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) July 7, 2025
Pro-government voices are calling for me to be arrested. But I will not be intimidated pic.twitter.com/Fgc4c6h4y4
He reportedly accused another politician of calling for his arrest for allegedly instigating violence.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma called for the arrest of Madowo and “his ilk” ahead of the Saba Saba protests on Sunday, without mentioning him by name.
In a now-deleted post, Kaluma accused the journalist and other Kenyan international journalists of instigating violence during the protests.
However, the congressman is not the only official to criticize the former NTV journalist for allegedly inciting the protests.
Following the June 25 protests, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen criticized Kenyan journalists working as correspondents for international media for being reckless in reporting on Kenyan events.
Murkomen argued that they did not use the same caution when reporting on Western countries because they only earned accolades for broadcasting the unpleasant features of Kenya.
“They are very careful when reporting in their countries, but when they come to our country, they report it as it is, and some of the reporters are so happy,” he stated.
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“They think they have achieved because they are being cheered in Western countries.”
“They think that it is very nice to come and report on their countries negatively, and that is the issue. This is the question we should be asking ourselves,” he continued.
“The question of closing or not closing depends on the circumstances. You have to weigh the national interests and individual interests of media houses.”
Besides Madowo, BBC’s Ian Wafula, Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, and DW’s Edith Kimani were also Kenyans covering the protests for the major media outlets.
Nairobi Politician’s Goons Target Larry Madowo During Protests
