IG Kanja faces backlash after transferring police accused of attacking protesters
Pressure mounts on IG Kanja for transferring police bosses ver femicide protest chaos
Pressure mounts on IG Kanja for transferring police bosses ver femicide protest chaos.
Lawyers drawn from four major organisations have dubbed the transfer of top police officials as punishment for the excessive use of force in the anti-femicide protests of December 10 as “not enough.”
In a joint statement on December 16, the lobby group revealed that the transfers were made by Inspector General (IG) of Police Douglas Kanja, following an investigation by the Internal Affairs Unit over police conduct during the peaceful women’s march.
“The Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya), Amnesty International Kenya, The Law Society of Kenya, and the Independent Medico-Legal Unit acknowledge the transfer of key commanding officers following the conclusion of the Internal Affairs Unit’s investigation into the unlawful and disproportionate use of force during the 10 December 2024 International Human Rights Day March,” part of the statement read.
Among those transferred are Nairobi Central Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Doris Mugambi, SSP, to Vigilance House and Nairobi Central Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Stephen Okal to Mulot.
The two have been replaced by Buruburu Deputy OCPD Stephen Okal, SSP, and CI Talaam respectively according to the statement.
“While this is a step toward accountability, it falls far short of addressing the systemic issues that enable such abuses,” they declared in the statement.
They went on to reiterate that due to the brutal nature of how police officers handled protestors despite meeting all legal requirements, a proper overhaul of police operations was paramount.
They called on the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to ensure that all police officers involved in disproportionate force during the march were held criminally liable as transfers only emboldened their behaviour.
Their next demand was a call for policy reforms and training led by the Inspector General to ensure officers involved in policing public assemblies know their limits.
“Reaffirm that a reasonable three-day notice is sufficient to enable Kenyans to exercise their right to peaceful assembly, as stipulated under the law,” read their third demand.
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Following investigations on such matters, the lobby group also called for transparency in reporting the findings by publicly publishing them as soon as they are available.
To conclude, they requested collaboration between human rights defenders, civil society organizations and the National Police Service (NPS) when implementing practical strategies to transform policing culture.
On Monday, the lobby group also released a statement calling for tougher repercussions for police officers involved in unlawful practices during protests.
The statement was released after Amnesty Kenya executive director Irungu Houghton and four of his co-accused were released without charge after being arrested during the anti-femicide protests.
They called for, among others, prompt investigations into the officers involved and prosecution by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) if found culpable.
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