How Cold-blooded murder by the State in Mombasa happened

Kenya has been ranked top in Africa in cases ofHuman rights groups, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority among other stakeholders say cases of human rights violations by security agencies remain prevalent.

Police on Friday shot and wounded a 28-year-old man in Beersheba area in Kisauni, sparking complaints from his family and activists over what they described as cold-blooded murder by the State. While police claimed that Ali Athman was a gang member, his family and rights group Haki Africa said that was not a justification to kill or maim suspects.Tokeo la picha la likoni gangs machette

There were claims that police were enraged by an attack that left an officer in Ganjoni area nursing serious injuries. Francis Musyoki Syengo was charged with attacking and robbing John Githiri of Sh5,000 using a machete. Police claimed they shot Athman when he and other gang members attacked officers on patrol, a claim that was disputed by the man’s family.

Kenya has been ranked top in Africa in cases of police shootings and killing of civilians according to a report by Amnesty International shows.The report indicates that by October 2016, a total of 122 extrajudicial killings had been reported in Kenya, out of 177 cases in Africa.However, the figure could have been hire but there was lack of official database of police killings or enforced disappearances, says the report.

This puts the country ahead of fourteen African nations of Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia which also recorded cases of police harassment and deaths.

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However, the fourteen ranked high on violation of freedom of expression as well as the arrest and detention of members of opposition parties and groups.

Marcella Favretto, a senior human right advisor-OHCHR, says despite the cases remaining rampant, arrests and prosecution remain critically low.

She has called on authorities to come out openly and condemn any act that infringes on rights of the people by ensuring perpetrators are brought to book.

“Over the years, serious concerns about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances have featured prominently in UN communications to the Government of Kenya, treaty body and UPR recommendations, all pointing to the urgency of effective prevention, accountability and remedies,” Favretto asserted.

Tokeo la picha la Zeid El Hussein

The situation has caught the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council boss Zeid El Hussein, who she says has called for accountability for the “scores of unlawful killings and other human rights violations reported during the 2017 Kenyan elections.”

To reverse the worrying trend, she is urging investigating bodies including the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to effectively and promptly investigate all allegations of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances.

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