Khateli narrated…. "At around 5.30pm on Saturday, I was
confronted by a police officer as I was taking photos of my wife and myself at
Uhuru Park. The policeman claimed it is illegal for me to be taking photos
without authority from Nairobi City Council. When I informed him they were not
commercial but family photos, he left and came after an hour with over 10 other
cops.
They were bundled out of the public park and arrested.
"After an altercation that lasted over an hour, I was
handcuffed and taken to Parliament Police Station, and the arrest was
registered in their OB book. Together with my crew of five photographers, we
were locked up in a cell, but we were treated well, we were not harmed in any
way. My pregnant wife and my nine-year-old niece were with us and experienced
the distress and agony as well but were not arrested. It took the intervention
of the OCS and Parliament Head of Security to secure our release after we
explained our case to the OCS, who realised there was a miscommunication
between the arresting officers and ourselves."
Michael added, "As photographers, we are peace-loving
Kenyans, and our intention is to portray Nairobi and Kenya as a whole as a safe
place to be through imagery. It is ironic that they opted to arrest us instead
of offering protection. As a photographer, I am in the business of making
people look good, and there is no way I would portray my country as an unsafe
place. Never."
COURTESY
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