NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 29 – Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja has decried what he has described as the “arbitrarily killings of innocent boda boda riders by the police in the city”.
Sakaja’s remarks on Tuesday followed a weekend incident where a boda boda rider was shot dead by the police along Kirinyaga road.
Consequently, the first term Senator petitioned the Senate Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee to initiate an inquiry and establish the circumstances that led to the death of the rider.
“50 percent of these killings have been in my county and there are other many cases where these riders have been harassed and made to suffer in the city. I hope that this can be resolved speedily,” he said.
Sakaja wants the Committee chaired by Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni to among other things outline the action that has been undertaken by the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai in regard to the arrest and prosecution of the officers involved.
“The committee should explain why cases of extrajudicial killings have continued despite the public outcry and what strategies have been put in place by the Inspector General to ensure humane, professional and responsible policing,” he said.
He stressed that the inquiry should submit a report before the Senate outlining cases of rogue officers who have been successfully prosecuted and also the report should capture the mitigation measures that are being undertaken by the National Police Service to end the erratic killings.
“We should also be told on the measures the government is putting in place to compensate the families of more than 100 men and women who have fallen victim to the extrajudicial killings in the last fifteen months,” he said.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has since launched investigations to probe the circumstances under which the rider who is alleged to have refused to offer the officer involved in the shooting a bribe.
The Anne Makori-led authority is expected to release its findings on the incident this as pressure continues to mount on Mutymbai to act and take stern action against the officer involved.
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