Pangani Police Station rises from dark era of extrajudicial killings

Until recently, Pangani Police Station, located on Nairobi’s Juja Road, was leading in the number of police killings countrywide, making it one of the most dangerous places where a person arrested by law enforcers could be held.

The station was infamously known as the base for an alleged killer police squad, referred to as the 'Pangani Six' unit, which operated in Eastleigh and Mathare, and was known for killing suspected gangsters.

One of the officers in the squad, Ahmed Rashid, was in 2017 accused of shooting suspected gangsters in Eastleigh in broad daylight, in an incident that was recorded on video and went viral on social media.

The killing of the suspected criminals received mixed reactions from residents.

While some saw Rashid and his Pangani Six squad as heroes who ruthlessly dealt with armed gangs mushrooming in Eastleigh and Mathare, wreaking havoc and affecting business, others saw them as villains, highly feared for their brutality.

In 2020, Rashid was transferred from Pangani following protests from human rights groups, with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) initiating investigations into the actions of the Pangani Six.

IPOA recommended the prosecution of Rashid, who was later charged at the Kibera Law Courts with the killing of two teenagers — Jamal Mohamed and Mohamed Dahir— at the Amal Plaza in Eastleigh in 2017.

Rashid’s transfer from Pangani Police Station ahead of the prosecution triggered protests in Eastleigh, with some residents fearing that his departure would result in the return of the dreaded gangs.

But the fears turned out to be unfounded, with Eastleigh experiencing calm despite a few reported crime incidents.

Reduction in extrajudicial killings

Now, Pangani Police Station seems to have shed its dark past, with the annual Missing Voices report revealing a reduction in extrajudicial killings attributed to it in the last year.

This positive trend has also been witnessed in Eastleigh where there has been a notable reduction of insecurity.

Despite the recent killing of Adan Ali Mohamed in a day-light armed robbery, the area has enjoyed relative calm, with locals attributing it to the close collaboration between them and officers at Pangani Police Station.

The Missing Voices report analyses the trends in police brutality and associated killings in the country. For years, it has placed Pangani Police Station among the country's most dangerous.

Members of the public display the yearly Missing Voices report, on extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in Kenya, following its launch at the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Nairobi on April 24, 2024. (Photo: Justine Ondieki)

But this is changing, with the report attributing it to “the transfer of 19 police officers from the station on November 25, 2021, following sustained campaigns by Missing Voices Coalition.”

“This shows it is possible to not only disrupt the pattern of extrajudicial killings but, eventually, significantly reduce the number of those brutally denied the right to live.

On a broader scale of reasoning, this confirms the importance of the work and efforts of the members of the Missing Voices Coalition, the Police Reforms Working Group, and other stakeholders who monitor and document extrajudicial killings,” the report says.

Awareness

The report says that while some people supported the killings of suspected gangsters as a way of dealing with crime, the debate raised awareness of what the law requires when it comes to dealing with crime and the danger of normalising extrajudicial executions.

Missing Voices Coalition’s Annual 2023 Report says extrajudicial killings reduced by 9.2%, from 130 in 2022 to 118 in 2023 and enforced disappearances reduced by 54.5% from 22 in 2022 to 10 in 2023 pic.twitter.com/FUDIgprunH

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) April 24, 2024

The trial, as well as the happenings around Pangani Police Station over the years since the alleged shooting of the two teenagers, strike at the very core of police impunity and brutality.

As reported in the 2022 MVC’s Annual Report, the Pangani Police Station was the most notorious that year in the whole country when it came to extrajudicial executions.

In 2021, the station registered 32 cases of extrajudicial executions. This number reduced to 11 in 2022. No case was reported from Pangani Police Station in 2023,” the report says.

Residents of Eastleigh who spoke to The Eastleigh Voice attested to the return of tranquillity and the reduction of crime.

“Eastleigh has changed from what it was a few years ago when crime, violence, and riots were the norm. This place has many police officers and the dominant community will not allow crime to thrive,” said Daniel Onyango, a boda boda rider.

Onyango further said those who understand the changing dynamics are even choosing to settle in Eastleigh, hence the booming construction of rental apartments.

“We see an apartment come up and within a short time it's full of tenants,” he said.

According to the 2019 population census, Eastleigh had an estimated night population of 348,778.

During the day, observers say the numbers go up to half the population of Nairobi, courtesy of the thriving businesses and the influx of residents from neighbouring counties and the region.

Residents also told The Eastleigh Voice that the presence of police officers in the area has increased significantly, some in uniform and others in civilian clothing, thereby curbing crime.

In February, former Pangani Sub-County Director of Criminal Investigations David Cheruiyot said insecurity in Eastleigh had reduced significantly over the last few years due to the community’s dedication to stopping crime as well as increased patrols by officers, especially in areas marked as hotspots.