Prosecutor on the spot for intimidating Court Journalist
A court session at the Milimani High Court was briefly thrown into tension after a prosecutor from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Sarah Ogweno, openly intimidated and harassed a journalist covering the ongoing murder trial of Starlet Wahu.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, during a short break in the proceedings, moments after CCTV expert Elizabeth Njuguna had presented her evidence before Justice Alexander Muteti.
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When Mediamax journalist Zipporah Ngwatu approached the expert to request still photos from the CCTV footage, images that had already been shown in open court, the prosecutor reacted angrily and launched into a tirade against the media.
“I approached the expert and asked for still photos that she had told the court she extracted from the CCTV footage,” Zipporah recounted.
Njuguna had calmly informed the prosecutor about the journalist’s request, and that simple gesture appeared to trigger an aggressive outburst from her (Sarah).
“No, no, no; do not give her; those are our exhibits. Do not share with her. I do not like these media people; they usually misreport,” prosecutor Sarah exploded.
Her rant, which continued for several minutes, stunned those present in court. She raised her voice, repeatedly expressing her dislike for journalists and even dragging other judicial officers into her tirade.
Also watch: CCTV footage shows man leaving alone the night Starlet died
She went so far as to cite Makadara Law Courts, claiming that journalists avoid covering cases there because “they don’t like media people.”
When the session resumed, another witness – Joseph Ndung’u, a security guard at Solace Apartment – took the stand and testified that he saw the main suspect (in the Starlet Wahu murder case) leaving Papino apartment.
However, the tension did not subside. As Zipporah stood up to take the witness’s photo, a standard practice in court reporting, Prosecutor Sarah Ogweno once again lashed out, objecting to the use of a phone camera.
“No, go get the right gadgets to take photos,” Prosecutor Ogweno said angrily.
Her remarks, made in open court, were viewed as an attempt to publicly humiliate and obstruct the journalist from carrying out her lawful duty.
It is worth noting that the Media Council of Kenya recognises mobile phones as legitimate journalistic tools for news gathering, including photography in court proceedings.
