By Cyrus Ombati
Nairobi, Kenya: The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has launched investigation into the killing of two civilians by police on Saturday.
The authority said it wants to establish whether lethal force was used lawfully in quelling violence that erupted as a crowd protested the Supreme Court ruling upholding the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as president.
A statement from the authority said they had requested for formal reports from the Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo, and would study them in addition to independently probing the incident.
Innocent pedestrians
“The investigation will extend to other parts of the country that are reported to have experienced lawlessness after the Supreme Court ruling and ensuing security operations in affected areas,” said the statement.
The outcome of the investigation will be made public.
Survivors say police opened fire on innocent pedestrians killing the two and injuring others.
Ipoa was established to provide for civilian oversight to the work of police, including monitoring and investigating policing operations affecting the public, receiving and investigating complaints by officers and the public and making recommendations for disciplinary action or prosecution.
The mandate of the authority includes investigating all deaths and serious injuries caused by a police officer on duty or as a result of police action, receiving and investigating complaints from both members of the public as well as from police officers and investigating police misconduct on own motion.
It can make recommendations for disciplinary action or prosecution as well as recommendations to prevent future misconduct.
Police have said the use of force in the riots was justified and argued the rioters were opportunists who wanted to loot, a claim denied by survivors.
Some 23 people, including a child, were shot and seriously wounded in the protests that followed in Nyanza and Nairobi. Mr Kimaiyo has started investigation into how the two were killed.
Live bullets
He said they want to know if all the bullets were shot by police. Police are said to have opened fire on the demonstrators as part of efforts to contain the rioters.
Kimaiyo said police had been supplied with both live and rubber bullets and instructed what to do when and how.
He said some of those affected were goons who wanted to take advantage of the situation to loot.
“We must know that there were goons trying to take advantage of the confusion to rob from business premises,” he added.
He said for police to have decided to use such force, they were justified.
