Police forced me to hide in the toilet – Nation journalist narrates scary ordeal
She spent one hour in the toilet
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Ms. Atieno was on official duty with NTV cameraman Karim Rajan and Daily Nation photographer Laban Walloga.
The photojournalists were filming the multi-billion hotel said to have encroached the Indian Ocean for the purposes of compiling a news piece.
However, they were not allowed to continue with their reporting work as they were assaulted by the construction workers under the alleged supervision of police officers.
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Recounting the scary encounter, Atieno said that she decided to film the attack as she was far off from where it was happening.
"I saw Walloga go down pleading with the men as he protected his camera while receiving a dog’s beating. Mr. Karim was also being beaten as he tried to defend himself. I immediately took my phone and started recording, but I was so scared," she narrated.
Unfortunately, a police officer spotted Atieno filming the attack and barked: "Are you recording?"
She denied and ran off as the police officer alerted his colleagues to arrest her.
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"Arrest that girl now!" she remembered the angry officers saying.
Atieno divulged that she rushed into the Flamingo Beach Hotel and proceeded to the washrooms where she hid for one hour.
"I was panting so hard, I found ladies in the washroom so I decided to wait until I was alone before I could make calls to my boss Lucas Barasa and mom," she said.
After the washrooms were vacated, Atieno called her boss and forwarded the recording of the assault.
That is when the video was posted on social media, alerting the public about what was happening to the Nation Media Group (NMG) journalists.
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After one hour in the toilet, Ms. Atieno was rescued by one Ahmed Mohammed.
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