Trent Keegan found dead

Classy guy, just sorry I didn’t get to know him better.

At the start of this year, with enormous enthusiasm, commendable ideals and noble plans to highlight the injustices, conflicts, and social issues which abound in Africa, he relocated to the ‘Dark Continent’, whilst retaining his Irish contact details.

He was unmarried, with a sister living in the UK and parents in New Zealand.

My heart lies broken in that drainage trench with you.

http://www.lightstalkers.org/trentkeegan

…. and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.

http://www.trentkeegan.com/bio.php

Thanks Gayle for all these. It helps to get to know the person a bit more.

I think everyone here is eager to understand the reason behind the death.

I don’t know Santanu. But, from his recent emails something is very wrong. I can’t believe he is gone. I thought to myself, well thank God, Trent is is safe and enjoying himself and taking beautiful photos in Kenya…. );

I have formed a few Internet friendships outside of this forum which have lasted more than a few years and I am beginning to be exchanging e-mails and PMs with some on LS. I can only imagine what you are feeling when I think what if any of those I`ve been corresponding prematurely died. I did not know Trent Keegan, perhaps I have seen a photo of him on his LS profile once before as I recognize the photo.

I hope something good will come out of this terrible tragedy.

It is our great loss.

It’s a matter of solidarity and protecting our own. Tomorrow it could be me, tomorrow it could be you.

Here are some links to new articles regarding Trent’s tragic death which may help to give you some clues as to how Trent’s murder case is progressing. I think that perhaps at this point in time a lot of new information that could have been uncovered through police interviews, detective discovery and particularly through the medical comparison of the two different countries autopsies will no doubt reveal quite a lot to the authorities but unfortunately we may not be privy to all of these new facts for a while since Trent’s death was not due to natural causes. It may be sometime before we will find out through the gathering of all this information as to whether Trent’s murder was premeditated or not, and what the motive was and what could have been the the perceived benefit to be gained from this puzzling and vile act of cruelty directed towards our dear friend Trent.

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Monday, June 02, 2008

Is Kenya Becoming Deadly Territory For Journalists?

Who murdered foreign journalist Trent Keegan in Nairobi?

For a long time now keen observers of the Kenyan press have been asking the rather nagging question of whatever happened to our once free and vibrant press?

Why is it that too many stories that should receive prominence are quietly being swept under the carpet? Is the press under threat and if so by whom?…

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To quote Tom Rhodes of CPJ

*…“This is a devastating loss for those who knew Trent Keegan, a photographer who worked to document
people in need of a voice around the world,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “The Kenyan
police must act decisively to bring whoever killed Keegan to justice. Time is of the essence here, as it
is in all murder investigations.”

CPJ is investigating whether Keegan’s death was linked to his work….*

See also:

Pete Jenkins’ blog on Trent at Professional Photographer

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:14am

Pete Jenkins is the Vice Chair of the Photographers’ Sub Committee of the National Union of Journalists
and is an active campaigner for photographers’ rights. Trent Keegan was an NUJ’s Member and belonged to
NUJ’s Cork branch.

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and Trent’s EPUK Obit

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There will be a memorial service for Trent at Salthill Beach, Galway tomorrow on Tuesday evening.

Memorial service: There will be a memorial service for Trent at Salthill Beach, Galway on Tuesday night.
Please meet on the prom across from Seapoint Leisure Centre at approximately 9.30pm. Rev. Patrick Towers
from St Nicholas Church will give a short service that will be followed by the opportunity for friends of
Trent’s to say a few words. All are welcome at Massimo pub on William Street following the service.

4 June 2008

Kiwi Keegan killed in Kenya ‘in suspicious circumstances’

*…BJP understands that Keegan had been working on his own assignment after witnessing a number of shocking events, including a murder. He was looking for a journalist to write the story that would accompany his pictures.

‘The unlawful killing of New Zealand photographer and National Union of Journalists member Kent Keegan has hit many in the photographic community,’ says freelance photographer Pete Jenkins. ‘Those who knew him cannot speak highly enough of him, and he was regarded as a gentle giant who impressed all those he came in contact with.’

According to Jenkins, Keegan feared for his life while in Kenya. ‘That Trent was concerned for his own safety became obvious to me over the past week, and he said he was being persecuted, as a result of the work he was doing,’ Jenkins says. ‘It has brought home to me again the danger that many of my colleagues go through on a day-to-day basis to cover and report stories.’…*

4 June 2008

Trent, my heart, thoughts and prayers go with you and your family in their grief and long hour of need. I wish you good weather and bon voyage for your journey back home to paradise. We will see you again, good friend, and will not rest until your murderers are brought to justice and the corruption of those you were exposing is revealed to the whole wide world. We promise you that now as I speak, the world is watching, waiting and demanding for your justice.

…Mr Keegan’s funeral will take place in his hometown of New Plymouth in New Zealand on Saturday morning…

Killed photojournalist farewelled in New Plymouth
Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:43p.m.
Trent Keegan Trent Keegan

video

The family of photojournalist Trent Keegan, who was killed while working in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi is ready to start looking for answers about why he died….

Heartbreaking farewell for slain Galway snapper

Sunday, 08 June 2008
BY KEITH LYNCH

By MATT RILKOFF matt.rilkoff@tnl.co.nz – Taranaki Daily News | Monday, 09 June 2008

Warm memories of a life well lived took the chill from the air of Trent Keegan’s funeral in New Plymouth on Saturday morning…

The New Zealand Herald:nzherald.co.nz

Web

Sunday June 22, 2008
10:34PM NZT

Family wants own inquiry

3:19PM Sunday June 22, 2008
By Cliff Taylor

*Keegan’s family says suspicions around the photo-journalist’s death remain. Cliff Taylor reports….

Trent had been working on a sensitive story in neighbouring Tanzania involving allegations that a safari company had removed indigenous Maasai from their land.

Shortly before his death he told friends and family he had been “visited” by security services connected with the company.

“It wasn’t a simple mugging,” sister Nikki told the Herald on Sunday last night. “There are so many suspicious questions into an ulterior motive. It doesn’t add up.”

She said Trent had talked about what was happening to the Maasai. “They are being beaten, hurt and even killed. And for what? For greed. It needs to be exposed.”

Nairobi police have launched a murder inquiry, but more than three weeks later there has been no conclusion, despite unconfirmed reports two men had been arrested.

Nikki said there were “odd” elements to the case, which fuelled the view it was not a simple mugging in the city known as Nairobbery.

She said Trent’s body was found in a “nice” part of the city, near the Parliament buildings early in the morning. It was on a busy road with CCTV cameras nearby.

…..

The International Committee to Protect Journalists is now investigating the case.*

It wasn’t a simple mugging

Sunday, 22 June 2008

Keegan family want inquiry into photographer’s death

…The photographer had just returned from Tanzania where he was working on a story involving allegations that a safari company had forcibly removed a tribe from their land.
Nikki Keegan added that Trent had talked about what was happening to the Maasai. “They are being beaten, hurt and even killed. And for what? For greed. It needs to be exposed.”…

22 June 2008

Keegan family considers independent inquiry

>>>.*..Maasi land dispute -

Shortly after Keegan’s death, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told reporters that they were treating the incident as murder. “It does not appear to have been a robbery. If it was a robbery, the logical thing is that the robbers would have also taken his money.”

The manner of his death has led to speculation that the murder could be linked to a story Keegan was working on in neighbouring Tanzania concerning attacks on Maasai. The attacks were suspected to be linked to a land dispute between the Maasai and Massachusetts-based Thomson Safaris Company.

In the days before his death, Keegan had expressed concern to friends about his safety whilst covering the story, especially after he was approached by security contractors linked to Thomson Safaris. His family had begun telephoning him daily to check he was okay.

The Committee to Project Journalists has said that they are “deeply troubled” by Keegan’s death, and that they are carrying out their own investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.*

• What happened to Trent Keegan between 9.30pm, when he was last seen, and the early hours of the next morning ?

• Was his death connected with the story he was working on ?

• The area where his body was found is surrounded by CCTV cameras – have the pictures from these created any leads ?

By GLENN McLEAN glenn.mclean@tnl.co.nz – Taranaki Daily News | Tuesday, 24 June 2008

Two Kenyan men have been arrested in Nairobi in relation to the mysterious death of former New Plymouth man Trent Keegan….

…The men have been charged with robbery with violence and an official court date has yet to be set….

24 June 2008

Two arrests in Keegan murder probe

*Two Kenyan men have been arrested for the murder of photojournalist Trent Keegan.

Keegan, 33, was found in a drainage ditch in Nairobi on 28 May. He had suffered severe head injuries and Kenyan police immediately opened a homicide investigation.

The two men have been charged with robbery with violence but it’s rumoured that Keegan was actually murdered because of a story he was working on. His camera and laptop were stolen but his wallet was found in his pocket after his death. He had also told colleagues he feared he would be killed….*

Two weeks ago, Pete Jenkins, a freelance photographer, had told BJP that Keegan feared for his life while in Kenya. ‘That Trent was concerned for his own safety became obvious to me over the past week, and he said he was being persecuted, as a result of the work he was doing,’ Jenkins said….

There is a Justice for Trent Petition now in the works. If you (or anyone) has any suggestions please comment, PM or email me.

Thanks much!

Gayle

One suspect in custody for Trent Keegan’s murder in Kenya

New York, June 26, 2008—*Despite the arrest of a suspect in the murder of New Zealand photojournalist Trent Keegan, questions about the killing remain unanswered, CPJ said today.

Kenyan police are holding a suspect in Keegan’s murder, a Kenyan police spokesman told CPJ. The police have not released details, but spokesman Eric Kiraithe told CPJ that police have not found any link between Keegan’s reporting and the murder.

Kiraithe said Keegan was killed in a suspected robbery on May 27. The award-winning photographer was found dead in a trench with injuries to the back of the head on the morning of May 28 in a ditch alongside Nairobi’s main thoroughfare. Keegan had left a friend at 9:30 p.m. the previous night, colleagues said.

“It has been three weeks since Trent Keegan’s murder, and there are still many questions left unanswered regarding his investigation,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “We call on the Kenyan police to conduct a thorough investigation and pursue all possible leads.”

Some evidence suggests the attack was not a simple robbery. Although Keegan’s Mac laptop and cell phone were stolen, his wallet with 3,848 Kenyan shillings (US$62) was found on him. According to colleagues who visited the crime scene, Keegan’s body was carefully dragged into a hidden area in a ditch, concealing him for almost 12 hours, suggesting that the murderer or murderers did not flee the scene immediately.

Colleagues and relatives told CPJ that an external hard drive and discs—equipment that Keegan typically used for his work—were not on the inventory of a police search at Keegan’s apartment in Nairobi.

The attack took place in a relatively safe area of the Uhuru highway, just outside the parliament building, Kiraithe told CPJ. Colleagues who visited the crime scene said that while there were three closed-circuit cameras nearby, police have not divulged whether tape from them exists.

Kiraithe said the police are planning to release an update on the suspect in custody tomorrow.

Prior to his death, Keegan was investigating a land dispute in northern Tanzania between local Maasai and the Massachusetts-based Thomson Safaris Company, friends and colleagues told CPJ. Keegan had told colleagues via e-mail that employees of the safari company had visited him while he was reporting in Tanzania, questioning him about the report before he left for Nairobi. He said he was concerned for his safety.

A spokeswoman for Thomson Safaris told CPJ that the company was unaware that Keegan was working on a story about their operations and that they have not been contacted by the police involved in the investigation.*

WHO MURDERED TRENT KEEGAN?

June 27, 2008

By Daryl Lang

Emails reveal murdered Kiwi’s fear of police

5:00AM Sunday June 29, 2008

By Cliff Taylor

’Keep this safe mate. In case something happens." That was the chilling email message sent by New Zealand photojournalist Trent Keegan, 13 days before he was found murdered in the Kenyan capital Nairobi….

Hi to all,

I was wondering if you would be able to spare a few moments to send some emails to New Zealand politicians – if enough of us contact them then I’m sure we’ll see things moving a little faster with regards to the investigation into Trent Keegan’s murder in Nairobi. Can you ask them to tell you what the latest developments are – this should hopefully spark their interest into looking deeper into the case and may even rustle up some more media coverage.

It would also be good to ask whether it is adequate to have only one part-time Honorary Consul in Kenya during this time – there are upcoming court cases for the men arrested on suspicion of involvement in Trent’s murder and it is imperative that there is full and dedicated legal representation and support for Trent’s family through this extremely difficult time.

It is an election year in NZ so a good time to start putting the squeeze on…

The main politicians to contact are:

Helen Clark – Prime Minister of New Zealand. Was quoted as saying she expected a full investigation into Trent’s death so it would be good to know if she is following up on this…
mail to:
pm@ministers.govt.nz

Also has Facebook page – sign up and ask some questions in public!!!

Shane Ardern – National MP for Taranaki, the district where Trent is from. mail to:
shane.ardern@parliament.govt.nz

Harry Duynhoven – Labour MP for New Plymouth, the city where Trent is from. mail to:
hduynhoven@ministers.govt.nz
duynhoven.mp@xtra.co.nz

Winston Peters – Minister for Foreign Affairs.
mail to: wpeters@ministers.govt.nz

John Key – Leader of the Opposition. mail to:
emma.holmes@parliament.govt.nz
genelle@johnkey.mp.net.nz

Also has Facebook page – sign up and ask some questions in public!!!

Good luck and happy emailing. Sunshine and smiles to all!

Cheers,
Linda

July 2, 2008

Kenyans charged over photojournalist

*Two Kenyan men have been arrested for the murder of photojournalist Trent Keegan.

Keegan, 33, was discovered in a drainage ditch in Nairobi on 28 May. He had recently told colleagues that he feared he would be murdered. Kenyan police opened a homicide investigation after the body was found with severe head injuries..*

Photographers final snaps emerge

Sunday, 06 July 2008
BY CAITLIN O’HANLON

…Prior to his death Mr Keegan had returned from a trip to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where he had been interviewing a young man named Lesingo Nanyoi, the subject of his final photographs.
Nanyoi, a 24-year-old Maasai tribesman, told Mr Keegan he had been shot by police who were helping the safari company clear the land. He and a number of fellow tribesmen had been approached while tending their stock and had been asked to leave by company officials. When they refused police turned up and started shooting at them. Nanyoi was hit on the chin and the shoulder, managing to escape. Eight others were caught by police and taken away.

The photographs were emailed to a reporter just days before Mr Keegan’s death….

Kenya Police Say They Have Five Suspects in Keegan Death

July 10, 2008

By Daryl Lang

*The Kenya Police have now identified five suspects in the murder of New Zealand photojournalist Trent Keegan, according to police spokesperson Charles Owino.

In a brief phone conversation Thursday, Owino said the police have recovered 15 items that were taken from Keegan, including his laptop and digital camera….*

Trent Keegan

© Courtesy of the Keegan family

I didn’t know Trent Keegan, but I was participating in a forum thread http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=2500 about the land dispute and shooting that he was covering when I came across news about the murder. I was very frustrated by that there, as normal in these cases, was no good information and when someone actually was there to find out the truth instead of sitting in front of the computer discussing things without really knowing anything (like I do) – he got killed (don’t know if the murder had anything to do with his work).

I’d like to offer my condolences to Trent’s family and friends.