KHRC Executive Director George Kegoro says the commission should also examine the extent and causes of continued and persistent lack of individual and command accountability for the same/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 6 – Human rights organizations under the banner of Police Reforms Working Group wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to establish an independent judicial commission of inquiry to conduct a probe into claims of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances of suspects of Crime.
This is after the killing of two suspects in Eastleigh in a manner they say was an outright case of extra-judicial killing.
KHRC Executive Director George Kegoro says the commission should also examine the extent and causes of continued and persistent lack of individual and command accountability for the same.
“The actions of the police officer clearly contravene Article 26 of the Constitution which asserts that every person has the right to life,” he said.
“A person shall not be deprived of life intentionally, except to the extent authorized by the Constitution or other written law.”
He said in the case of the Eastleigh incident, “there was no imminent threat of life in this case. The young man was restrained.”
He says killing of suspects has proven not to be effective and instead hardens criminals saying more than 600 suspects have executed since 2013.
They also want the President to, “speedily assents the National Coroners Bill 2017 to provide for independent forensic investigations of questionable deaths.”
Other recommendations include the police Internal Affairs Unit alongside the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to expedite investigations into the summary execution of the Eastleigh suspect and forward the report to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
They also want Nairobi Police boss Japheth Koome to be probed for saying, “he will deal ruthlessly with armed gangs killing innocent Kenyans.”
“The National Police Service Commission should institute disciplinary actions against other police officers who were at the scene or were involved in killing the two young men,” the right groups, among them the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said in a statement.
“They should also immediately vet and remove police officers involved in extrajudicial killings including those from units within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations also linked to extrajudicial killings.”
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