The government has moved to absolve the police from accusations of alleged extrajudicial killings during efforts to quell the violence that rocked last week’s nationwide protests.
In a statement on Tuesday, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki said any such claims of excessive use of force by anti-riot police are ‘malicious and false’.
“Claims that National Police Service (NPS) officers and other law enforcement personnel are engaged in extrajudicial executions and/or excessive use of force against the public or any section thereof are malicious, false and intended to distort public opinion regarding the recent orgy of violence that took place in some parts of the country,” Kindiki said.
On Tuesday, Azimio leader Raila Odinga claimed police used brut force against protesters in what he termed as “unprecedented police violence”.
“Police and gangs have shot and killed or wounded dozens of people at point-blank range,” he said, adding that “all the victims were unarmed”.
Raila spoke during a press conference for foreign media in Nairobi.
He said at least 50 people have been killed since March when the opposition coalition announced the resumption of weekly mass protests against the government.
The government acknowledged the loss of lives during the three days of nationwide protests but did not give the exact number of fatalities.
However, Interior PS Raymond Omollo said in a separate statement that one police officer was killed and 305 law enforcement officers seriously injured.
Kindiki said those pushing the extrajudicial narrative are the same individuals who should bear the greatest responsibility for the wave of violence that befell the country during the marathon demos.
“The architects of this false and distorted narrative bear the greatest responsibility for planning, financing and executing heinous crimes resulting in death and injury of civilians and law enforcement officers and massive destruction of private and public property during the past few weeks,” he said.
“Furthermore, it has been established that licensed and unlicensed civilian firearms supplied by the masterminds of the recent violence were used to kill or injure civilians and security personnel, and the blame shifted to security officers.”
Kindiki said investigative and intelligence agencies are analysing solid evidence in their possession to establish which evidence is adequate to prosecute those behind the crime.
