Kenyans angered by police brutality during JKUAT demos

A number of Kenyans online were angered by excessive force used by police during protests by JKUAT students on Monday.

In a video shared online, a number of police officers were seen beating up a student and kicking him several times.

Netizens called for immediate action to be taken on the officers and by Tuesday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) had already commented on the matter.

In a statement seen by Ureport, IPOA - charged with the responsibility of ensuring police are held accountable for the actions – strongly condemned the incident and revealed that it had dispatched a team to investigate the matter.

“IPOA will investigate the allegations of use of force, use of firearms and any other misconduct against the police officers.

“The Authority appeals for eyewitness accounts and any related information to further its investigations in the matter,” read the statement in part.

Elsewhere, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino strongly condemned the incident and thanked Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and Inspector General Hilary Mutyambai for taking action.

The two vowed to look into the matter and take action within 24hours.

Matiang’i stated that he observed the events with ‘profound concern’ adding that the use of force by police is clearly outlined in the National Police Standing Orders.

In a separate statement, IG Mutyambai stressed that officers have been trained on the need to respect human rights and that use of force must be legal and of necessity to the needs of justice.