Nightmare for journalists covering summit

Photojournalist taking photos of US President Barack Obama and his Kenya counterpart at 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Nairobi on saturday 25th, 2015. [PHOTO: ANDREW KILONZI/STANDARD]

Some delegates at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit came in body armour for the two-day conference held at what was arguably the most secured location in the country over the weekend.

Entrepreneurs like Daymond John, who appears as an investor in a reality television series called Shark Tank, chose to give media interviews dressed in the armour.

Others avoided the media centres. It was common to see a delegate with a bigger than normal chest, some covering the bulletproof vests under T-shirts.

Covering the conference presided over by Presidents Barack Obama and Uhuru Kenyatta at the United Nations headquarters in Gigiri was a nightmare for most journalists who had to bear with rigorous security checks.

Reporters had to arrive at the International School of Kenya (ISK), which was the media collection centre, at 6am to cover the event that started four hours later. Here is how it happened.

At ISK, journalists start the painful screening process that would see them go through at least five different searches.

The first search happens about 10 metres to the main gate and is done by local security officers. Once satisfied, they wave you on. Little talking happens here. They lift the 'Go' placard when done with you.

Two mean-looking US security guys are at the entrance, probably CIA. One from the US embassy who is fairly dark and heavily built walks to you and requests to see your identification.

SERIOUS LOOK

He looks at the picture on your accreditation then gives you a serious look, before saying it's all good.

The last inspection is inside the school compound where a physical screening happens. You have to empty your pockets as always and the gadgets are passed over your front.

Then you go back to the car. They request to search it. They turn it upside down. That's when you are ushered into a waiting shuttle to Gigiri.

A journalist could not arrive at the venue on their own. It had to be in the shuttle that was leaving after every 30 minutes. At the UN headquarters, it takes about 15 minutes to the venue in Gigiri where the real conference is happening.

The shuttles were all fitted with CCTV cameras, which our driver said were transmitting a direct feed to a command centre at the US Embassy. At the Gigiri junction, one meets over 20 National Youth Service servicemen. Another contingent of police are stationed on the 200-metre stretch between the junction and the US embassy.

At Gigiri, a sniffer dog is let into the bus, walks up and down the aisle and only then are delegates allowed to disembark.

Several are outside the gate and no one is allowed to stand around doing nothing. Journalists have a special gate into the press filing centre and conference rooms. But before one gets there, you must bear with one of the most thorough searches. The screening is more painful than any of the airports in the UK or US.

You literally have to pour out of the bag almost everything. Two ladies do the searching. After that one's pass is swiped on some white machine that brings up your credentials.

Then you take a three-minute walk to the press filing centre. Here journalists had access to all information materials. To go to the main conference rooms, you must be accompanied. One of the guides was a Mozambican national who knew so little about Kenya.

There were at least four people scrutinising our badges, two of who were within six feet of each other. One delegate inside the bus took out his phone to take a photo but was promptly informed that it was prohibited.

The summit venue was guarded by security personnel from Kenya and the United States. The Recce Squad formed a loose perimeter at regular intervals around the premises, with US security personnel forming a tighter, second inner perimeter.

Journalists were restricted to a press filing area outside the main summit venue and requests to attend any session or for any side interviews were first made via email.