The government's response to the rising number of instances of violence and extrajudicial killings by police officers is coming under increasing pressure. This follows the shooting of Boniface Kariuki, a naked street vendor, on Tuesday in Nairobi during protests over Albert Ojwang's death on June 8 while he was being held by police. Irng Houghton, executive director of Amnesty International Kenya, stated in an interview with NTV on Thursday that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), the state-funded watchdog of the police, ought to be given the authority to arrest officers who are accused of misconduct.
“We want to see IPOA have the capacity to arrest officers. Up to now, they still cannot do that and it is why in Ojwang’s case, they had to go with the Internal Affairs Unit officers to effect the arrest,” Houghton said.
He called for the expansion of the watchdog’s mandate to cover other forces beyond the Kenya Police Service, such as the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), whose officers have repeatedly been criticised for killing civilians.
“They also need to expand their jurisdiction so that their mandate covers Kenya Wildlife Service officers, KFS and the Kenya Defence Forces because they are still doing policing duties. Who is oversighting them in this role they were given last year?” Houghton said, referring to the deployment of military personnel to confront protesters at the anti-government demonstrations last year. The 22-year-old victim, Kariuki, was fatally shot in the head at close range by a police officer who was wearing a balaclava. His father, John Kariuki, told journalists that he underwent surgery and was in critical condition at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
The shooting had led to the arrest of an officer, according to the police.
After Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat "stepped aside" on Tuesday to make way for investigations into Ojwang's death, protesters called for his resignation and prosecution. The teacher died at Nairobi’s Central Police Station after he was arrested in Homa Bay over alleged publication of derogatory social media posts targeting Lagat.
Police initially claimed he died of self-inflicted wounds, but an autopsy found that he likely died after being assaulted. Two policemen have since been arrested over the death.
Houghton condemned the criminalization of the right to protest and freedom of expression on Thursday, saying, "It is beyond changing the individuals in these positions... the behavior of police must change to reverse the culture of enforced disappearances and killings."
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