TJRC told of Nyayo House torture

Emotions ran high as victims of torture on Tuesday gave shocking accounts of the brutality meted on them by the police during the Kanu regime.

At the ongoing Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission hearings, the victims narrated how they were arrested, beaten up and detained without food for several days for questioning retired President Moi’s regime.

The hearings are being held at the infamous Nyayo House torture chambers in Nairobi. At least 12 victims appeared before the commission to give their testimonies. (READ: Moi-era torture victims awarded Sh100 million)

One of the victims, Mr Kang’ethe Mungai, recounted how he fled from officers from the dreaded Special Branch of the police for fear of being taken to the chambers.

Subversive group

“I had just been arrested in Gilgil and back in my mind, I knew I would be taken to Nyayo House,” said the self-confessed member of the Mwakenya group, which had been labelled a “dangerous subversive group” by the regime.

He went on: “I knew what lay ahead and wanted to kill myself rather than wait to be tortured. So I struggled and freed myself from the clutches of the police and jumped over a bridge. I sustained serious injuries and was taken to Nakuru for treatment.”

Mr Mungai explained that just days before he was operated on in Nakuru, officers from the Special Branch visited him at the hospital bed and told the doctors that they were moving him to Nairobi for specialised treatment.

“Little did I know that I was being taken to the dreaded chambers where I was tortured... I could not wait for the day I would be taken to court. The day came and I pleaded guilty to all the charges against me so that I could be taken to prison,” said the human rights activist.

He fought back tears as he narrated how his mother was beaten up by the police, forcing Lady Justice Gertrude Chawatama, who chaired the session, to intervene.

“We are sincerely sorry for the experiences you went through…we, however, celebrate the fact that you are alive today to tell the story so that people who did not know what happened can know,” she said.

Mr Mungai called for compensation for torture victims. “Prime Minister Raila Odinga promised us this. It is yet to happen… This must be done soon as many of us are ageing. They are likely to die before they are compensated,” he said.

He further called for all their criminal records to be scrapped. “We were patriots working hard to liberate the country, not criminals. We cannot even get certificates of good conduct. This should be looked into,” he said.

The team is expected to hand over its final report to President Kibaki on May 3.