A Homa Bay county official has been charged with assault and causing bodily harm to a local journalist.
In a statement released by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on, Homa Bay County Human Resource Manager Beatrice Mercy Akugo was charged at the Homa Bay Law Court with assaulting People Daily reporter Habil Onyang’o Oloo.
The charges were filed on September 16, 2025, with the prosecution alleging that the offense occurred on September 14 at Lake Front in Homa Bay Sub-County.
Homa Bay County Employee Charged with Assault, Bodily Harm on Journalist. Photo: Courtesy.
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Jacinta Orwa, Akugo denied the charges and was released on a Ksh30,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount, or alternatively, a cash bail of Ksh20,000.
The case is set for mention on September 30, 2025.
The charges arise from an incident involving journalist Habil Onyango, who was nursing injuries after what he described as a brutal assault by known attackers in Homa Bay County.
The attack came shortly after he published an investigative report that allegedly exposed corruption within the county government.
Onyango’s investigative report, published on Friday, alleged that a county employee was involved in bribery and the facilitation of illegal employment through fraudulent documentation.
The exposé detailed how fake appointment letters were being issued through the County Public Service Board and the County Secretary’s office, enabling unauthorized recruitment within the county administration.
According to Onyango, his attackers directly linked the assault to the corruption story, demanding that he issue an immediate retraction and apologize for claims made about a woman featured in the piece.
The journalist was allegedly abducted and subjected to physical assault before being released.
He subsequently sought medical attention for injuries sustained during the ordeal.
