POLICE | JOURNALIST | ASSAULT 

KAMPALA - Photos and videos have since Tuesday evening been making rounds in which a hooded Policeman is seen kicking a photojournalist.

Lawrence Kittata, the Vision Group journalist, who was kicked in the private parts, has today (Wednesday) narrated his ordeal, saying it was by God's mercy that he survived being run over by vehicles after falling down.

Below is Kittata's tale:

Early Tuesday morning as I went out and about my duty together with other journalists, we were accosted by an angry-looking police officer in a blue-dotted uniform. This officer was accompanied by a colleague. 

The Policeman who reportedly kicked journalist Kitatta. (All Photos by Lawrence Kitatta)

We looked on curiously as they approached us and later asked for our work identity cards. We were humble enough to show them our IDs. 

Later the officer who gave us the mean look told us forthrightly that he hated journalists.

“I hate journalists. I don’t like them,” he remarked to our puzzlement.

I chipped in and told him it was unfortunate that he felt that way towards members of the Fourth Estate who were going about their work.

The two officers then walked away.

No sooner had the two men left than several protestors holding placards showed up at the home of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament in Kampala to express their dissatisfaction at her recent comments about Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake.

I, like the rest of my media colleagues, had been assigned to the story.

The protestors were later chased away by the law enforcement officers. As if on cue, the officers then turned towards us and also chased us away.

In the process, the officer in the blue-dotted Police uniform got a head hood from his pocket, concealed his identity and started battering journalists as I continued to take pictures.

After that, he turned on me and kicked me hard as I was taking pictures. 

I had a close shave with death as I fell after his kick. I almost fell under a passing car, as the circulating pictures show.