NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 27 – Fifty-three people lost their lives due to police brutality during the anti-government demonstrations by the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition between July and August this year.
Investigations conducted by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) established the findings which are actively under scrutiny awaiting recommendations for actions against police officers found culpable.
In the findings, Kisumu has 33 death cases, Nakuru 2, Nairobi 20, and Kakamega two with several injuries being reported during the period.
“Between Saba Saba and the ceasefire when dialogue started, we have received 237complaints involving 359 complainers. Deaths we received are 57 that are underactive investigations with some of them being at the tail end of investigation,” IPOA Chair Ann Makori stated.
Makori explained that they have faced stonewalls in investigating the cases especially when multi-agency teams which include the Director of Criminal Investigation, National Police Service, and Director of Public Prosecution are involved.
“Its important that the security amendment bill be supported to expand the mandate of IPOA because we find when there is multiagency cooperation then IPOA is limited, we follow up the issue then we find probably something was committed by someone who is not a police officer,” she said.
Azimio claimed more than 50 people were killed by police during the three-day protests against the high cost of living.
While Azimio accuses police of killing protesters arbitrarily while suppressing the demonstrations, the government insists police acted professionally.
Rights groups including Amnesty International on Friday denounced “repression” by police and said they had evidence of 27“extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions” in July alone.
The Opposition Coalition called off the protests in mid-July and held interdenominational prayers in remembrance of lives lost during the anti-government protests.
The Azimio vigils were held on Wednesday, July 26 in different parts of the country with different leaders and clerics paying tribute to the dead.
Azimio has accused the government on several occasions of turning to police brutality to disperse innocent protesters a statement which the government has denied.
The Opposition Coalition called off the anti-government demonstrations after former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo brokered a pact between President Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga to facilitate a ten-member team to hold talks aimed at ending the social, economic and political situation facing Kenyans.
