Investigative journalist Purity Mwambia has resurfaced after a long hiatus following the release of her exposé, Guns Galore.
Guns Galore that aired on Citizen TV took aim at some members of the National Police Service for allegedly renting out their firearms and uniforms to criminals.
As reported on Nairobi News, Mwambia appeared at a conference organized by United States Department of State.
The conference was meant to discuss unique challenges faced by female journalists in the media industry.
Speaking during the event hosted Bureau of Global Public Affairs, Mwambia disclosed that she was living in exile due to her journalistic work.
“First of all, when you come here from your country where you’ve done big stories, you’ve quoted all these people who are doing some corruption, big shots in the government… but believe me, when you come here, it’s like your voice is silenced,” she said.
Mwambia also explained how it is hard to secure a job in the US media industry.
“It’s hard to navigate the US media landscape, especially for global journalists. It’s so hard. I’ve been here for two years and I’ve only been able to do one story with one of the local companies,” she added.
She went ahead to disclose that she was abandoned in the US by an organization that sponsored her trip, adding that she was on the verge of homelessness.
“Every day when I walk past all these metro buses and I see these homeless people. It’s one of those stories I would have loved to tell as a journalist, but now I walk as if I’m literally in their shoes, not knowing what’s going to happen to me,” Mwambia said.
Mwambia went into exile in 2021 after doing the Guns Galore exposé.
The exposé targeted alleged members of the National Police Service who renting out their firearms and uniforms to criminals.
Mwambia and her crew showed how they were able to procure a pistol, AK47 rifle, a pair of handcuffs and police uniforms from officers through criminal middlemen.
However, in a quick rejoinder, the then Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti denied that firearms used in the exposé belong to National Police Service officers.
He turned the heat on Mwambia and her Royal Media Services (RMS) bosses over the story terming it sensational and inaccurate
“The inaccurate and highly sensational report aired on CTV in the 7pm and 9pm news made no effort to reach out to the security sector for a reply. The report breached very high security protocols
“I have never seen such a pistol issued to an officer in all the 20 years I’ve served in the service. Holding the weapons for the entire period was criminal
”The report was a deliberate move to humiliate the NPS, it amounts to abuse of media freedom,” Kinoti said.
