She doesn’t know if she will ever be re-united with her family or even work as a journalist again.
Said Hassan who is the chair of the Somali Exile Journalists Association (SEJASS), says about 40 journalists from his country have refugee status in Kenya.
Threats to journalists in Somalia, he explained emanate from terror groups but also from businessmen and government officials.
“As journalists we know that killing journalists can come from different areas, even the government because they don’t want to be exposed, they abuse power, they commit crimes, and they steal money. They don’t want to be asked to be accountable.”
It has been hard for Hassan to forget deaths of his two colleagues who were massacred in Mogadishu, tragedies that have left him scarred for life.
According to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 59 journalists were killed in Somalia between 2009 and 2016.
The report singles out Somalia as one of the most hostile environments for journalists in the world.
Though they don’t know if they will ever be re-united with their families or return to their jobs, they appreciate the safe haven they have found in Nairobi which has given them hope of at least staying alive.
“Here in Kenya the media can report and write freely, you can criticise your government and you find yourself still alive. People walk on the streets freely without fearing someone will capture them,” Yusuf appreciates.
They also have opportunities to attend trauma counseling sessions, training and interact with Kenya journalists and different organisations including the US Embassy in Nairobi which has been facilitating their training on election reporting.
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