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Opposition, civil society pile pressure for action against rogue officers who killed protestors
Demonstrators carry the body of a protester who was shot dead at Parliament Buildings during the anti-Tax Bill protests in Nairobi on June 25, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Civil society wants officers who used excessive force during the nationwide protests prosecuted.
- Opposition leaders have faulted President William Ruto for not ensuring justice had prevailed.
Opposition and civil society groups have piled pressure on the National Police Service (NPS) and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to speed up the arrest of officers implicated in the shooting and killing of protestors during the youth-led anti-Finance Bill protests last year.
They also want the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to work together and jointly expedite their investigations as well as speed up the prosecution of all officers flagged for having used excessive force during the nationwide protests.
These demands come barely a day after BBC aired a documentary “Blood Parliament” that revealed the identity of two state security officers - a police officer and a KDF soldier- who directly shot at protestors. Erickson Mutisya, David Chege and Eric Shieni were shot to dead.
Speaking during the launch of the State of the World’s Human Rights in Nairobi on Tuesday, Amnesty International Executive Director, Irungu Houghton, said the BBC documentary corroborated a joint civil societies’ report last September which revealed that unnecessary and excessive lethal force was used against protestors last June.
“We call on the KDF to submit a comprehensive report to Parliament detailing their deployment, engagement protocols and overall interventions during the 2024 protests…we demand both the NPS and KDF to act and publicly state the actions being taken with regard to the findings of the Blood Parliament documentary,” he said.
Mr Irungu questioned why almost a year later, promises made by the government and state institutions mandated to investigate the excesses in the protests have not resulted in the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
A statement released by IPOA Monday evening revealed that 60 police officers have been identified for misconduct and using excessive force during the Gen Z protests with two of them having active cases in court.
A parameter fence that was flattened when demonstrators stormed Parliament Buildings in Nairobi during the anti-Tax Bill protests on June 25, 2024.
“We acknowledge the investigations update released by IPOA and call on the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to release a statement on the status and progress of prosecutions currently underway related to June 25, (2024) protests,” Mr Irungu said.
However, the opposition is not amused by IPOA's statement and also criticised the ODPP- accusing the two entities of showing “deliberate reluctance to investigate and prosecute” atrocities. Instead of helping the situation, the government, they said, is running campaigns to criminalise peaceful protestors.
In a scathing joint-statement signed by People’s Liberation Party leader, Martha Karua, Wiper Democratic Party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, Democratic Party leader, Justin Muturi, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, DAP-Kenya’s Eugene Wamalwa, former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Mithika Lintrui and Jubilee Party Chairperson, Torome Saitoti - the opposition faulted President William Ruto for not ensuring justice had prevailed.
“Independent institutions tasked with holding our security agencies, particularly IPOA and the DPP have abdicated their constitutional mandates and now operate at the behest of the regime, actively participating in cover-ups of human rights violations and gross violations of the constitution,” the statement
Elite police squad arrives to calm the situation after demonstrators stormed Parliament Buildings in Nairobi during the anti-Tax Bill protests on June 25, 2024.
On his part, Vocal Africa’s Executive Director, Hussein Khalid, has urged DPP, Renson Ingonga, to call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of officers in the killings of Gen Z protestors on June 25, 2024.
“This new evidence -combined with our comprehensive post-mortem reports- forms a compelling basis for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the officers responsible for these heinous acts,” he said.
The investigation by BBC, corroborated by independent evidence and credible eyewitness accounts, leave no reasonable doubt as to the identities of the perpetrators, the Vocal Africa boss said.
“We respectfully remind your office that delays or failure to act decisively risk emboldening impunity and would be a grave abdication of duty to the constitution and to the people of Kenya,” he said.
A police truck burns after demonstrators stormed Parliament Buildings in Nairobi during the anti-Tax Bill protests on June 25, 2024.
Mr Khalid also demanded that NPS and KDF to immediately surrender the officers identified in the BBC documentary to the appropriate authorities for due process.
For the Independent Medico-Legal Unit’s (IMLU) Executive Director, Grace Wangechi, the officers identified in the documentary should be immediately suspended from duty and thorough independent investigations commenced.
She also called for the inclusion of the officers’ bosses through the command responsibility principle to ensure that those who gave the orders are also held responsible.
“Serious cases should be opened against them and an active file through IPOA established. We have to ensure that they do not get away with the crimes and those found culpable are held responsible. While doing all these, the government should not forget about compensating the victim’s families,” she said.