KBC journalist grilled by police over re-tweeted post on Directorate of Criminal Investigations recruitment

An employee of the State broadcaster was questioned by police after re-tweeting a post on an internal advertisement for jobs by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) journalist Judith Akolo was questioned by DCI officers for re-tweeting the post on the notice issued on December 31, the same day the applications were to close.

The officers confiscated her mobile phone, saying it would be used as evidence if charges were to be pressed against her.

"The only thing I did was to re-tweet what I saw on someone's handle. I wonder if this amounts to an offence because the original information was not mine. They asked me questions that I did not have answers for," said Ms Akolo.

She had on December 31, 2015 re-tweeted a post from Patrick Safari (@moderncorps) about an advertisement of jobs within the DCI, which was made public on the deadline day; December 31, 2015.

The internal notice was meant to inform Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service officers interested in joining the DCI to apply.

The fact that the notice was issued on December 31 and was to expire the same day attracted her attention.

Mr Safari who tweeted first on the issue said he had not been questioned or summoned.

"I know their intention is to know how the document got to the social media. They are angry with the fact that the advert was to expire the same day and hence could lock out many interested officers," he said.

He said police should not target bloggers and journalists for crimes they had not committed.

Akolo said on the day of her arrest, she was called by the KBC security manager and informed that some officers from Central Police Station wanted to talk to her.

"They later asked me to go with them to the station where I spent three hours responding to their questions," she said. The re-tweet was later deleted.