Probe launched into police brutality on University of Nairobi students amid protests

Nairobi, Kenya: A probe into a video circulating on social media platforms showing police assaulting University of Nairobi students has been launched.

The clip is alleged to have been captured near or along State House Road where a group of about 30 students were lying on a muddy and wet ground as police armed with sticks and clubs canned them.

Some students could be heard wailing and screaming as they received the beating from the officers in turns.

The officers seemed agitated after a daylong running battle with the students who were protesting the re-election of their union officials.

Kenya police spokesman Charles Owino said they had not confirmed if the video was captured at the university.

Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome too said they had launched a probe into the video and would take action.

“We want to know if indeed the video was shot at the university and then we will launch investigations on how this happened,” said Koome.

Some students claimed police in anti-riot gear evicted them from their hostels and classes before forcing them to lie down on the roadside where the beating happened.

Some students had their rucksacks indicating they were either leaving classes or hostels when they were caught in the drama.

The students said they did not know how and why the officers were allowed to access their hostels and classes.

On his part Owino said police deployed to control the chaos had instructions on how they would handle the situation.

“Officers don’t go into their hostels and classrooms. We only control them from causing chaos on the road,” he said.

He added no report of assault or rape had been made to any police station.

The development came as police warned students against a further planned protest on Tuesday over their SONU elections in which Babu Owino was re-elected as the chairman for the fourth time.
Some students plan to stage more protests in the city and swear in the loser of the elections Mike Jacobs.

There are claims some lecturers in administration are sponsoring the chaos.
The students plan to block major roads in the city during the protests but police say they will not allow that. On Saturday and Monday, the students had blocked some roads in the city to protest the election so far approved by the administration that termed it legal and valid.

They burnt down their SONU offices in the chaos. They also attacked motorists. It was then that police were deployed to quell the violence.

There have been concerns that there are no procedures of handling such riots. The Commission on Administrative Justice had recommended for the review of Riot Manual to meet the international standards and in relation to the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials.