Lobby groups want police officers on patrol to display their IDs.
Almost everyone, by now, must have viewed the traumatic video footage of squad of police officers brutally beating up a group of innocent young men at a pool bar in Nandi Hills town.
The violence, unleashed for no apparent cause other than to satisfy the bloodthirst of our men in uniform, has been roundly condemned by all and sundry. Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja disowned the officers involved and instructed his Internal Affairs Unit to launch immediate investigations into the assault, human rights violations and abuse of power witnessed.
The incident was also condemned by local politicians led by Nandi County Governor Stephen Sang and Senator Samson Cherargei, who demanded speedy action.
The chair of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Mr Ahmed Issack Hassan, also weighed in, criticising use of excessive force and revealing that a team was already investigating the incident.
The toughest words came from the man in ultimate authority of the Police Service, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who described the violence as barbaric, inhuman, unconstitutional and illegal. He promised that the officers involved would face the full force of the law, including prosecution and dismissal from service. He also pledged that police brutality is an issue that will be dealt with firmly.
Assault citizens
The January 10 incident only came to light a week later when a CCTV footage was posted on social media.
Despite the tough words and promises of action, we have every reason to be sceptical. It is instructive that as Mr Murkomen condemned the incident, he felt constrained to explain that previous utterances widely interpreted as supportive of police officers who assault citizens, did not apply in this specific case. It is thus not clear whether the law in regard to police brutality is applied on ministerial discretion.
Unless we see concrete proof of tough and resolute action against the officers involved, therefore, we would be wise to take the statements from Mr Murkomen, Mr Kanja and Mr Hassan as mere public relations efforts meant to assuage public anger until the heat is off.
It is a fact that Mr Murkomen is on record praising and defending police officers who were accused of brutalising young men and women during the Gen Z protests of 2024 and subsequent acts of political protest. By his actions and utterances, the Interior CS views the police and other security agencies principally as armed enforcers for the political authority rather than impartial custodians of law and order.
A screengrab of a viral video shows a police officer raising a pool stick to hit a man. A dozen police officers on Saturday night rounded up and assaulted youths found playing pool in Nandi Hills town.
That is why overwhelming force will be applied in instances of political dissent, while white collar criminals in the regime he serves remain above the law; heavily armed bandits are allowed to roam freely in large swathes of the country; and criminal gangs wreak regular havoc on citizens everywhere.
Political dissent
Now, the Nandi Hills incident, ironically in the heart of President William Ruto’s power-base, did not have anything to do with political dissent, but is reflective of a culture of impunity and lawlessness that has been purposely encouraged in the police service.
It follows that Inspector-General Kanja, who must be held personally responsible for serial crimes against citizens by the men and women under his command, will do nothing against his juniors unless expressly instructed by his political masters. As for the Internal Affairs Unit, which is mandated to investigate and take action on errant police officers, the less said about that joke, the better.
And one could say the same of Ipoa, which remains largely impotent and powerless despite the onerous constitutional mandate it enjoys. The supposedly independent police oversight body has taken little or no action on the abductions, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial executions, torture, illegal confinements and other serious human rights violations perpetrated by various security agencies, notably the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the National Intelligence Service at behest of the political regime.
All they do is explain the lack of progress. Then there is the tired excuse that matters are still under investigation, but the reality is they are unwilling or unable to penetrate the confederacy of criminals in the police service that seem bound by the laws of Omerta.
On this assertion, I can cite with authority my own case of abduction and assault in July 2024, which Ipoa has refused to take to natural conclusion despite a clear photo and video evidence fingering the criminals.
On the Nandi Hills incident, it would take no more than a minute to identify the perpetrators from CCTV footage and duty rosters, but as I pen this, days after the incident came to light, there has been no progress reported. Not surprising.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
Mr Gaitho, an independent journalist, is former NMG Managing Editor for Special Projects. [email protected].
