News

Lobby demands arrest of IG Koome, DCI boss Amin over atrocities during protests

Demonstrators flee as Haitian Police open fire, during the clashes, in the centre of Haitian Capital Port-au-Prince, February 13, 2019, on the seventh day of protests against Haitian President Jovenel Moise. (AFP)

By Waweru Wairimu | Friday, June 28, 2024

Drawing reference to his address after Tuesday's deadly protests, PRWG-K claimed that by alleging that only six people lost their lives, President Ruto intended to downplay the tragedy.

The Police Reforms Working Group Kenya (PRWG-K) has demanded the arrest and prosecution of the Inspector General of Police Japheth Koome, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin and top security bosses over atrocities meted out on peaceful demonstrators during the countrywide anti-tax protests.

The consortium said all those accountable for the human rights violations including individual police officers who used excessive force on unarmed demonstrators must be held responsible for disregarding Kenyans' freedom of assembly and picketing as enshrined in Article 37 of the Constitution.

Keep reading

"The government must uphold freedom of expression and assembly, ensuring that Kenyans can protest peacefully without facing police brutality... The regime must ensure police atrocities that caused deaths and injuries cease," the organisation said in a press release.

The Association which has been working on police reforms since the promulgation of Kenya's Constitution in 2010, reported a nationwide death toll of 23 as a result of police shooting as of Tuesday evening, one more than what Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) recorded.

While demanding the release of demonstrators still in unlawful police custody due to arrest or abduction, the organisation also hit out at President William Ruto over what they termed as insincerity and running away from accountability over the killings reported during the demonstrations.

Drawing reference to his address after Tuesday's deadly protests, PRWG-K claimed that by alleging that only six people lost their lives, President Ruto intended to downplay the tragedy.

"The Head of State then stated that only 214 people were injured against KNCHR's figure of 300. Further, he did not disclose the number of demonstrators arrested by police during the protests merely stating that all had been processed and released," they said.

A total of 385 arrests were made with the suspects released unconditionally with the Association reporting that 22 people were abducted between June 21 and June 25 this year.

"He (President) underreported the number of deaths and injuries and failed to provide accurate figures on arrests and enforced disappearances. This is equivalent to avoiding accountability for the actions by the security agencies," the release noted.

The Association has also demanded that the government cover medical expenses and psychosocial support for injured protesters and bear burial costs for those who lost their lives during the protests.