We enter another week and the police enmity with civilians is trending yet again.Will the police in Kenya ever get along with its citizen?
Recently Kenya was reported to being on the spot despite ongoing police reforms, with security agencies being accused of continuing to infringe on human rights.
Human rights groups, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority among other stakeholders revealed cases of human rights violations by security agencies remain prevalent.
To prove the allegations in recent report, it has been revealed that atleast two people were killed and 10 others injured among them Trans Nzoia County Assembly speaker Joshua Werunga following a confrontation between villagers and police yesterday.
The villagers were shot by police officers at Kalongolo village in Kwanzaa in a bloody confrontation when the officers went to arrest a man suspected to have attacked a woman.
One police officer involved in the shooting was disarmed and arrested as a probe into the incident goes on.The injured are in hospital. A police car was pelted with stones and seriously damaged in the drama.
Witnesses and police said three police officers had gone to the village to arrest Dan Juma who is accused of assault. As they handcuffed the suspect, some locals raised alarm alerting villagers.
This marked the start of a long confrontation forcing police to shoot at the mob that swelled stoning them. The suspect managed to escape with the handcuffs.
Police say it was then that two people were shot and killed and almost a dozen others injured. Werunga was hit by a blunt object in the melee.
The officers retreated to a local police post as they sought reinforcement from a team of General Service Unit operating from Chepchoina.
When the team arrived, they were stoned forcing the car they were in to roll into a ditch. The vehicle had its windscreen smashed.
Villagers told police they were angered by police move to shoot them without provocation.Why do you think the enmity between the police and civilians is on the rise lately.
According to IMLU statistics, 822 people died from police bullets between 2013 and June 2018.
Of these, 58 happened between January and June this year.
IMLU acting program coordinator Carol Tunnen revealed of these are cases of summary executions, people killed during ‘protection’ of property while other lost their lives under unclear circumstances.