How Kenya police cover up killings of anti-government protesters

Guardian Nigeria

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00:00Rights groups and relatives have accused Kenyan authorities of a cover-up of dozens of alleged

00:06police killings, unexplained abductions and illegal detentions related to these anti-government

00:12protests, known as the Gen Z protests because of the young people involved.

00:16The body of 19-year-old Charles Owino lies in the street, killed by a gunshot to the

00:21head according to an autopsy report seen by Reuters.

00:25The police recorded his death as a road accident in the Moor Glog book, his brother told Reuters.

00:31The National Police Service did not reply to questions about four such cases examined

00:35by Reuters.

00:38The battered body of another protester, Denzel Amondi, was found in a pond at an abandoned

00:43quarry on Nairobi's outskirts nine days after he disappeared.

00:47The autopsy report seen by Reuters detailed hyperinflated lungs as well as bruises on

00:53his head, neck, forearm and knees.

00:56It recorded the death as drowning, but something else happened first, the family said.

01:01They said Kenya's IPOA watchdog, which probes cases of police brutality, has promised to

01:07investigate.

01:08Amondi's mother, Jadida Ombura.

01:10He went to the parliament during demonstrations and he was one of the Gen Zs who went there

01:20following the video which came up on the social media.

01:24And after that, the boy went missing.

01:29Reuters spoke to three police officers who work in a unit deployed during protests.

01:34They described police covering their tracks by mischaracterizing deaths caused by officers

01:39as accidents, drownings or mob justice.

01:42Thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets against tax hikes and political corruption

01:46from late June to December.

01:49Deputy President Kithora Kendiki has said 42 people were killed in a police response

01:54that rights groups say involved firing live rounds.

01:59Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights, which is government funded, also recorded

02:0382 enforced disappearances, 29 of which remain unaccounted for.

02:08The officers who spoke to Reuters about their work requested anonymity to speak about the

02:12subject.

02:15One policeman described working undercover during the protests to organize abductions.

02:20Me, as an officer, I'll be sent there to pretend.

02:25I'm there but undercover.

02:27Here is the person.

02:29Take their number.

02:31I can even send him or her money and talk about going back for protests the next day.

02:37At this point, I would have got them.

02:41The police did not respond to questions about these allegations.

02:44Bob Njergi is a high-profile rights activist who took part in the protests.

02:49He said he was held for a month sustaining these injuries.

02:52During these 30 days I was only fed once a day a very small meal of ugali, that is corn

03:01and cabbage and a cup of tea in the morning.

03:10I was allowed to take a shower once a week, every seven days, but my handcuffs remained

03:19intact both day and night.

03:23Otsieno Namwaya of Human Rights Watch says Kenyan police are required to take those arrested

03:28to stations then caught.

03:30What we are seeing are people in plain clothes hiding their faces, basically covering their

03:36faces.

03:37They abduct people in a very violent, very threatening or scary way and then they don't

03:44even take them to police stations.

03:46So in the first place, those things should not be happening.

03:50But because it has happened, we need accountability.

03:53The offices of Kenyan President William Ruto, his deputy president and the interior ministry

03:59did not respond to requests for comment.

04:01In a late December speech, Ruto acknowledged, quote, instances of excessive and extrajudicial

04:07actions by members of the security services.

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