The Independent Police Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has launched investigations into an incident where a traffic police officer is seen on a viral video clip assaulting a motorist.
In a statement to the press, Ipoa Chairperson Ann Makori said the authority, through its own motion, begun investigating a suspected assault on two people after seeing the video on Saturday morning.
Ms Makori noted that Ipoa has established that two people, a journalist and a motorist, were reportedly assaulted by the officers who were manning a road block in Nakuru.
“If culpability is established or further misconduct established, the authority will make appropriate recommendations against the said police officers to the Directorate of Criminal investigations,” read the statement by Ipoa.
In the undated viral clip that surfaced on Christmas Eve, three police officers are seen attacking a motorist who confronted one of them for hitting his car.
The man, who appeared angry with one of the traffic police officers, was quarrelling with him before he started recording a video.
The National Police Service (NPS) has, however, defended the officers, turning the blame on the motorist.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the NPS said it was the motorist who attacked the officer and not vice versa.
NPS explained that the said motorist was stopped for overlapping along the busy Nakuru-Nairobi highway before the confrontation ensued.
“The video circulating has not shown the full incident as it occurred. The motorist upon being stopped assaulted the police officer,” read the tweet by the Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai.
