IPOA says at least 56 youth died during Gen Z demos, submits files to DPP

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has submitted probe files on police conduct during Gen Z demos to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The authority's CEO Elema Halake on Thursday, said IPOA recorded at least 56 deaths, from the protests that lasted almost three months.

"We are committed to have the cases expedited. We are under a lot of pressure from the public and rightly so. The scope of the investigations is challenging because the incidents happened across the whole country and the resources are not adequate," he said.

Halake addressed questions from the media reporters who were attending a training workshop in Nanyuki, Laikipia County.

However, he noted that they still face a challenge with resources because the cases occurred in different parts of the country.

Despite the challenges, IPOA affirmed its commitment to expedite the investigations.

Another major challenge mentioned is the lack of cooperation from witnesses, which hampers the investigation of these cases.

"Also, we are not getting the full cooperation we need and many witnesses have not come forth to enable us to move with speed. Criminal investigations require forensic support and the evidential threshold is very high," Halake added.

June and July saw several counties across Kenya participate in anti-government protests.

During the vetting process last month, Interior CS nominee Kithure Kindiki said that the police were also victims of the protests which were rocked by gunshots, deaths injuries and destruction of properties.

Kindiki revealed that at least 164 police and civilian vehicles were destroyed during the protests.

Out of these, 54 were police vehicles, while 110 belonged to civilians.

The former Senator further highlighted that amidst the fracas, 385 police officers sustained injuries as compared to 486 civilians.

Sadly, Kindiki noted that the demos also saw at least 42 Kenyans lose their lives, and 1,387 arrests were made.

"We witnessed the death of 42 Kenyans, we also had 486 civilians and 385 police officers injured. 1387 arrests, 54 police cars destroyed and 110 motor vehicles belonging to the people of Kenya destroyed," he said.