Rogue officers who brutalized youths during demos should be punished

After last year’s violent demonstrations during the elections, hundreds of youths are nursing serious injuries suffered in the hands of the police.

Yesterday, our sister paper, The Standard published sad tales of hitherto productive young men now turned into a pale shadow of their vibrant past. They were hurt while exercising their constitutional right to picket or protest.

While the police were quick to admit that most victims they dealt with directly or who were in the line of fire were criminals, investigations by equal rights defenders and accounts of witnesses were at variance and depicted a police force bent on brutalising the citizenry.

Some victims were fished out of their houses or were engaging in business and were not participating in the riots. As is always the case, the police denied such claims, but did not provide apt answer as to why these victims, if at all they were found engaging in criminal acts, were not apprehended and charged in courts of law.

The story of the victims presents a bigger a challenge to the unity of the country as they depict a nation divided along political party or even ethnic lines.

Cases of police brutality are not new in Kenya, and the saddest bit is that the officers on the ground — and their bosses at Vigilance House and even the Executive Office — have never openly admitted that they did not follow the right procedure in quelling protests.

When pushed to the wall, the Independent Police Oversight Authority promises to investigate and ensure the errant police officers are brought to book, but after all is said, nothing is done and the victims continue to wallow in misery and their cries go unheard.

The failure to get to the bottom of the matter and bring errant officers to book does not augur well for the relationship between the police and the citizenry. This only encourages the police to act with impunity.

Thus, it is prudent for the relevant entities to conduct investigations and act accordingly to not only deliver justice to victims but also put an end to police brutality.