Violent policing sabotages criminal justice

Welcomed by the poetry of Anthem Republik, over 500 men, women and children crowded into Kayole’s social hall on Thursday. What happened over the next four hours could be a tipping point in stopping unlawful police killings, forced disappearances, police brutality and excessive force against citizens.

Kayole, like Mathare, Kondele, Majengo and other urban poor settlements are often described as Kenya’s “killing fields.” The many incidents of crime, criminal gangs and police-community hostility could fill at least five television series. Two years ago, the same tensions stopped an attempt to have a community police dialogue to bring down levels of crime and lawlessness. The fact that the dialogue finally happened this week was remarkable. The fact that the dialogue was chaired by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and happened in the presence of the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is more significant.