Pictures of a police officer beating up a young man who took part in protests in Nyeri on Saturday reveal a shocking level of brutality. The young man, who is unarmed, is seen being kicked by the officer before others arrive. In Bomet County, police lobbed tear-gas at Governor Isaac Ruto, injuring him in the face. And during a recent demonstration in Nairobi, police lobbed tear-gas at journalists whose only crime was doing their work.
This prompted yesterday’s demonstration by more than 50 journalists in Kisumu who said police officers were infringing on media freedom. In Thika town, one man died after being hit by a stray police bullet when chaos erupted during a musical show. Why did the police resort to live ammunition to restore order?