Christeen Volkman
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen condemned the brutal assault of young men in Nandi Hills, calling the officers’ actions barbaric and unacceptable He confirmed that investigators from the NPS and IPOA have been deployed, with the Inspector General already engaged on the matter Murkomen vowed that any officers found culpable will be arrested, charged, dismissed from service, and presented before justice Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has weighed in on the brutality meted out on a group of young men in Nandi Hills.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen.
Source: Twitter The CS, speaking in Mombasa on Friday, January 16, stated that the officers in the viral CCTV footage will face justice should the investigations implicate them.
They were seen beating up a dozen young men who were playing pool in Nandi Hills town.
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“It’s barbaric, it is unacceptable, it’s inhuman, it’s unconstitutional, it’s illegal. And I must say that that is not what we expect of our police service. The question of police brutality is an issue that we must deal with, and deal with it firmly,” the CS said. How Murkomen reacted to Nandi Hills’ police brutality Murkomen noted that whereas he promised to defend the law enforcers when they are unfairly targeted through the justice system, he won’t relent in pursuing disciplinary and legal action against them when they err.
“I have professed myself in the past that I will defend police officers who find themselves facing prosecution because of doing their work. But it’s not our job to defend police officers who commit a crime,” he said. According to Murkomen, the happenings in the footage outrightly speak to criminality on the side of the police, noting that action will be taken.
He revealed having engaged the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, on the matter.
Meanwhile, investigators from the National Police Service (NPS) were deployed to probe the circumstances in which the young men were assaulted.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) also indicated having sent its team to investigate the matter.
“What we see from that video prima facie is criminal activity, a conglomeration of police officers beating young people. We consulted earlier with the IG. He already deployed the internal unit team. The IPOA has also deployed a team to go and carry out investigations,” Murkomen said. The CS declared that, should the investigations put the officers at fault, they will be fired and present to face justice.
“Those officers who will be found to have committed that act will be arrested. They will be charged. And I can assure you that they will also lose their jobs if they are found to be guilty. We must, in such cases, show that the National Police Service and the government of Kenya do not condone police brutality. And that is absolutely unacceptable,” he said. How Nandi Hills police attacked pool players CCTV footage showed a group of about twelve young men quietly playing pool in a hall with two tables when police officers entered the hall.
The recording on Saturday night, January 10, revealed no sign of criminal activity at the time of the officers’ arrival.
The youths were ordered to lie on the floor as the officers seized pool sticks and used them to beat them.
The officers demanded identity cards and questioned why the men were still out playing late at night.
Officers at Nandi East Police headquarters record statements from youths battered by police inside pool hall. Photo: Alfred Koech.
Source: UGC Despite the youths’ explanations, the assault continued, with the officers taking turns before eventually leaving the hall.
Only after confirming the officers had gone did the young men slowly rise from the floor.
Did Nandi Hills’ youths report assault? Meanwhile, the youth formally lodged their complaints at the Nandi East Sub-County Police Headquarters.
They claimed that they were injured, their phones destroyed, and their cash taken by the officers.
Rift Valley police commander Samuel Mukusi confirmed that the implicated officers will face investigations and stern disciplinary measures if found culpable.
Earlier, the Nandi Hills Police Station boss clarified that the officers were not from his station but belonged to the Rapid Deployment Unit, an elite wing of the Administration Police Service.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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