Lodwar-based Star Journalist Hesborn Etyang was beaten by security officers of Stegra Hotel after he took pictures of a child who was drowning in the hotel’s swimming pool.
The child, who is currently fighting for his life at the Lodwar County Referral Hospital left the children swimming pool area and jumped into the deep end of the adult swimming pool and started drowning when the journalist who was within the vicinity of the hotel decided to take pictures of the event to report.
The 12-year boy sunk to the bottom of the adult swimming pool before he was rescued and rushed Hospital.
The Star Journalist Hesborn Etyang present during the incident was harassed by the management of the Hotel for taking pictures of the drowning boy on claims that it could taint the image of the hotel and lead to closure.
“Immediately I took the photos of people doing first aid to the drowning 12-year-old boy who was about 20 metres away from me. One of the restaurant staffs noticed and raised alarm to her colleagues that a journalist was filming the incident,” journalist said.
Image: Hesborn Etyang
He said just after taking the pictures, immediately two people identified as bouncers of the hotel, together with one of their senior staffs working in the human resource department pounced on him demanding for the Camera and threatening him to delete the pictures.
Etyang who reported the assault at the Lodwar Police Station under OB No. 40/02/01/2020 said he complied with the hotel’s security to delete the pictures he had taken but was beaten when he refused stating he was doing his work.
‘I took pictures as it pertains my work to report news and in this case to highlight the dangers of swimming pools without life-savers’, said Etyang
The incident took place on new year at around 1:15 p.m.
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