CNN award-winning journalist John Allan Namu receives death threats

Award-winning journalist John Allan Namu and colleague Mohammed Ali have recieved death threats following their of a tax evasion scam televised in Kenya last month.

The duo, who are senior investigative reporters at KTN [Kenya Television Network], said they have been receiving anonymous text messages and telephone calls after their story exposing a tax evasion scam was broadcast by the station.

Namu and Ali said they suspect the threats to originate from a corruption syndicate based at the port in Mombasa, which they exposed through their reporting.

The journalists and lawyer from parent company The Standard Group, Chaacha Odera, recorded statements at Mombasa's Central Police Station detailing the calls. The pair have vowed to continue with their popular investigative pieces despite the threats.

The Standard Group has called upon the government to provide adequate security for the journalists and to speed up the investigation into those behind the tax scam.

Namu was awarded this year's CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Award for his work on films 'In the Shadow of the Mungiki' and 'Inside Story: Scars and Sufurias'.

Speaking to Journalism.co.uk in October, Namu said: "At the end of the day you live and die by the stories you create and that way they resonate with the public. Media, especially in a country like Kenya and at a time like this, has a very important role in representing the public."

Read more of Dennis Itumbi's reports on journalism in Kenya on our Editors' blog.

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