CNN Journalist Larry Madowo Exposes Plot by Kenyan Politician to Have Him Attacked During Protest Coverage

NAIROBI, Kenya – CNN International Correspondent Larry Madowo has made shocking revelations about a coordinated plot by an unnamed Kenyan politician to have him physically attacked while covering anti-government protests in the country.

In a video statement posted on social media platform X on Monday, Madowo disclosed that hired goons had confessed on camera to being offered an additional Sh100,000 to assault him, destroy CNN’s broadcasting equipment, and disrupt their coverage of the ongoing demonstrations.

“A Kenyan leader has offered paid goons an extra Sh100,000 if they attack me while covering the protests, beat me up, smash our equipment, and they confessed to that on camera because they were not fully paid for the last protests,” Madowo stated in the video.

The veteran journalist explained that the attackers admitted to having been previously hired for similar activities during earlier demonstrations but claimed they had not been fully compensated for their past involvement.

Madowo also addressed growing pressure from pro-government social media accounts calling for his arrest on charges of “inciting people to violence.”

He firmly rejected these allegations, maintaining that his team had simply been doing their job as journalists.

“Some pro-government accounts on social media are calling for me to be arrested for ‘inciting people to violence.’ All we have done is report what’s going on, call out police brutality and show people the truth,” he said.

The CNN correspondent revealed that at least one Kenyan lawmaker had also publicly advocated for his arrest, though he did not name the individual.

This appears to reference Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, who made such calls in a now-deleted social media post ahead of Monday’s Saba Saba protests.

Several politicians aligned with the ruling administration, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, have publicly criticized international journalists like Madowo, accusing them of biased and negative coverage of Kenya’s internal affairs.

However, Madowo remained defiant in the face of these threats and intimidation tactics.

“One lawmaker also called for me to be arrested; we will not be intimidated. Journalism is not a crime,” he declared.

The award-winning journalist clarified his absence from covering Monday’s Saba Saba protests, explaining that he was in Nigeria on a pre-scheduled work assignment that had been planned weeks in advance.

“That’s not the reason I am not there today, because I am in Nigeria. Because we planned this weeks ago. I couldn’t cancel it, and the job is as an international correspondent, not a Kenyan correspondent,” he explained.

Madowo has been a prominent voice in covering anti-government protests and human rights violations in Kenya, often drawing criticism from government supporters for his unflinching reporting on police brutality and civil rights abuses.

The revelations come amid a backdrop of increasing tensions between the Kenyan government and international media organizations covering the country’s political developments and civil unrest.

Monday’s Saba Saba protests reportedly resulted in 11 deaths and 567 arrests across multiple counties, according to police reports.