extrajudicial killings in kenya
While the … Shoot-to-kill is clearly a pervasive phenomenon; Professor Philip Alston, then the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, arbitrary or summary executions had this to say in his summary report after a visit to Kenya in 2009: Perhaps the most surprising outcome of my visit was the extent to which I received overwhelming testimony of the existence of systematic, widespread, and carefully planned extrajudicial executions undertaken on a regular basis by the Kenyan police. It was point-blank, cold-blooded murder: the deliberate, calculated, unprovoked shooting-to-death of suspects who had clearly surrendered. Extrajudicial Killings in Kenya. " Four eyewitness photographs eloquently and truthfully told the story. From: People & Power Killing Kenya. The continuation of the shoot-to-kill policy may offer psychological comfort but it has not effectively tamed armed crime in Kenya. Human rights groups, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority among other stakeholders say cases of human rights violations by security agencies remain … He also asked the authorities to properly investigate the extent of unlawful killings in Mathare and other neighborhoods and those responsible held to account. In June 2008, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights recorded the confessions of police officer Bernard Kirinya, who said he witnessed extrajudicial killings of 58 suspects by his colleagues, under orders from his superiors. KILLING KENYA. You accept our use of cookies by closing this message box or continuing to use our site. The Temptation of Power in the War against Terrorism, GUIDELINES ON THE DOCUMENTATION OF SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN KENYA Supporting Accountability through Documentation of Serious Human Rights Violations, EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS AND ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN KENYA, GUIDELINES ON THE DOCUMENTATION OF SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN KENYA, ABSTRACT (Autosaved) (Autosaved) (Autosaved).docx. SPONSORED Sponsored: It is the clear that it is the reverse that is true: insecurity has increased forcing the citizen to migrate behind even higher walls and seek more protection from a variety of private sources—including private militia. Cases of police brutality intertwined with extrajudicial killings, often of youth in informal settlements, are so prevalent in Kenya, yet arrests of perpetrators leave alone prosecutions are ironically lacking. © 2021 Open Society Foundations, some rights reserved. As of 1st March 2020, police had killed 41 people across the country.Police brutality and extrajudicial executions (EJEs) are major issues in Kenya, especially in … Second: the official lies. It is the whole tree that is rotten: root, trunk, branch, leaf and fruit. When he asked why he was being arrested, James was shot three times. [Criminal Investigation Department] officers had challenged the gang of six suspicious men to stop, but instead they drew arms and fired at the officers, and a shout-out ensued." He reported on his visit to the May 2009 session of the UN Human Rights Council. First: the shootings. All Kenyans have the right to life. The statement from Langata police boss Kimantiri on the January 19 events is part of a tradition of police spin-doctoring. Sakaja statement in Senate on extrajudicial killings in Kenya on 20th Feb 2020 Police officer Zaddock Achuka Ayego accused of shooting to death boda boda rider Daniel Mburu at Makadara court on Thursday. While in Mathare, Amnesty International Secretary General Kumi Naidoo called on the Kenyan authorities to stop extrajudicial executions. If this very clear delineation were to be followed, we would avoid the shock, exposure, and outrage from pictures taken by an eyewitness’ camera. RE: STATEMENT ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS IN KENYA As Siasa Place we wish to strongly condemn the inhumane and unlawful use of force by the Police on the people during the enforcement of set out guidelines and directives to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus in the Country. > The war on terror: extrajudicial killings in Kenya The war on terror: extrajudicial killings in Kenya क्षमा गर्नुहोस्, यो प्रविष्टि अंग्रेजीमा मात्र उपलब्ध छ। For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in this site default language. The Daily Nation report of the executions on January 19 records a uniformed woman police officer challenging an inquisitive journalist: "Kwani wewe ni mmoja wao? In 2008, a government-funded group, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, issued a report, “The Cry of Blood,” that identified police as responsible for the killings and disappearance of more than 500 young men. In 2008, a government-funded group, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, issued a report, “The Cry of Blood,” that identified police as responsible for the killings and disappearance of more than 500 young men. ("A gun is not a hoe; a gun is not a spoon.") Hundreds of protesters marched in the streets of Nairobi Monday to denounce alleged extrajudicial killings by police and security forces. … 16 Unlawful killings before 2010 Post-election violenceThe Waki report in the aftermath of the 2007 post-election violence found that a total of 1133 people died. I rise to make a statement on the recent spate of arbitrary extrajudicial killings of innocent young Kenyans by police officers across the city-county of Nairobi. In July, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported police killed no fewer than 21 men and boys in Nairobi’s Dandora and … Every year the Open Society Foundations give thousands of grants to groups and individuals that work on the issues we focus on—promoting tolerance, transparency, and open debate. The extrajudicial killings are a product of history and of a particular image of how crime is dealt with in the ghettos of Nairobi. Youth, Unemployment and Extrajudicial killings in Kenya. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser. When pressed a bit more, the police counter by saying that they too are being shot at: that they are under attack and in the words of current Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere "Bunduki sio jembe; bunduki sio kijiko." It is also why international law allows the police to engage lethal force in self-defense or in defense of the life of another. It … In 2017, the MSJC released a participatory action report on extrajudicial killings in Kenya. The effects of extrajudicial killings in Kenya by police occur when the police and other government authoritirs commit killings without the sanction of a legal process or judicial proceeding. Read more Kenya has been ranked the leading country in Africa in cases of police shooting and killing of civilians, a report by Amnesty International shows. The Kenya National Human Rights Commission has documented 25 cases of extrajudicial killings and 81 cases of “enforced disappearances”. Recall David Makali’s eyewitness account of a police execution last year in one of his Star columns? Similarly, greater police oversight is needed: again, by a properly resourced independent, credible, and competent authority. Extrajudicial killings by the Kenyan Police Service are not a new phenomenon. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. northeastern Kenya during the 1963–67 Shifta War and in a series of mass killings in the early 1980s. The number of young people being brutalized and executed by rogue officers is alarming. But he and his colleagues appear to be the only people in the entire country who believe this claim. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. Professor Alston would note: The Police Commissioner in particular, along with various other senior officials, assured me that no such killings take place. Fifth, when all else fails, we are told that this is the case of "a few rotten apples" and that the police are investigating. This would have been the end of the case were it not for the fact that James was the son to Hon. The vast majority of Kenyans are scared of crossing the path of the police even in the name of vindicating our own inviolable rights. ("Are you one of them? The UN Special Rapporteur visited Kenya from 16 to 25 February 2009. What of the other numerous recorded systematic shootings of suspects—who are reliably reported to have surrendered to the police? These factors fuel extrajudicial killings.” Kenya’s 60,000-strong police service is plagued with allegations of unlawful killings, corruption and other misconduct. Advocacy against Extrajudicial Killings in Kenya #EndUnlawfulKillingsKE The status of extrajudicial killings in Kenya is alarming. Pia wewe tutakuweka hapo." However, another version of these same events emerged the next morning as the headline story in the Daily Nation causing a national stir because, for once, the counter version was accompanied by the irrefutable proof of photographs taken by a very brave eye-witness. They often target political, trade union, dissident, religious and social figures. There is a fourth issue arising from these events: that Kenyans, by and large, are mighty fearful of personally or collectively raising issues of accountability around extrajudicial killings. It would have ended there. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. Cookie Policy. It later transpired that that James had been in an argument in a night club with the police officer who had later stopped him as he left and ordered him to handcuff himself. January 27, 2021 / by Ian Randall Exploring Systemcraft: … In 2008, human rights groups accused Kenyan security forces of extrajudicial killings during operations in the Mandera triangle region, and in the same year, police involvement in post-election violence was widely documented. No one should be killed unlawfully. Extrajudicial and summary execution of terror suspects and other people and disappearance of many other in Kenya has put Kenya in the spot light and exposed Kenya’s death squads 152 that continue to cause breach of rights guaranteed under the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and international instruments that Kenya has ratified.153 Sadly, the necessary transformative reform of the police force has been mostly elusive in the majority of the post-colonial states of Africa, not least in Kenya. Pooh-pooh. This was the official police statement of the events on Langata Road on the morning of January 19, 2011. It would have ended there. Kirinya would be shot dead three months later. In the last year and a half, with the connivance of the country's political leadership, over 500 young men have been killed or disappeared. ("Lie down so we can finish you!"). Witness how the Daily Nation uses the byline Nation Team and, correctly in my view, withholds the name of the eyewitness. In 1996, the Kenya Human Rights Commission was recording at least two deaths a week due to extra-judicial killings. Extrajudicial Killings are not new in Kenya. February 17, 2021 / by Ian Randall Using Systemcraft in Action: Mitigating the risk of extremism in Kenya. Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. This has been the standard police response to human rights activists who question police shootings: that they are in league with or supportive of criminals. Recall the Kawangware seven where seven taxi drivers from Kawangware were shot to death by the administration police? extrajudicial killings by security forces, including due to underreporting of such killings in informal settlements, particularly in dense urban areas. "Laleni vizuri tuwamalize!" Patrick Muiruri, Deputy Secretary, Agriculture & Environment. In 2008, a government-funded group, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, issued a report, “The Cry of Blood,” that identified police as responsible for the killings and disappearance of more than 500 young men. Read the latest from our staff, grantees, and partners about how we’re working around the world to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. Human Rights Watch has accused Kenya's police force of carrying out the extrajudicial killings of around two dozen young men and boys in the low-income areas of Nairobi over the past year. A special investigation of extrajudicial killings in Kenya Produced by INSIGHT TWI: THE WORLD INVESTIGATES Presented by Kenya's own MOHAMMED ALI Directed by SEAMUS MIRODAN for AL JAZEERA ENGLISH SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE FOLLOW … Ask any ordinary Kenyan if they have felt any safer throughout this era when different police squads—flying squad, alfa romeo, kwekwe and so on—have been in existence arbitrarily executing those it deems to be criminals. An extrajudicial killing is the killing of a person by governmental authorities without the sanction of any judicial proceeding or legal process. We will also put you with them.") This was the official police statement of the events on Langata Road on the morning of January 19, 2011. Extrajudicial killings are unlawful and go against the constitution of Kenya and other international obligations required by Kenya for example Kenya has ratified the international convention on civil and political rights. Human Rights Watch has accused Kenya’s police force of carrying out the extrajudicial killings of around two dozen young men and boys in the low-income areas of Nairobi over the past year. It is not contested that the police are under attack; in fact this is reprehensible and must be unequivocally condemned. Extrajudicial Killings are not new in Kenya. Thirdly, we find that the police accuse those who question their version of events as being supportive of crime and criminality in Kenya. This is constitutionally guaranteed and the circumstances under which this right can be trammeled are also very clear. But, were the shootings of January 19 about self defense or defense of another? The adequate re-sourcing of the police—with decent pay, housing, and insurance for instance—is also vital. "[Criminal Investigation Department] officers had challenged the gang of six suspicious men to stop, but instead they drew arms and fired at the officers, and a shout-out ensued." Training, retraining, and re-evaluation and reconfiguration of just how the police conduct their business are also vital. These were the orders heard from a police officer to three men who were forcibly removed from a car on Langata Road that January 19 morning; as they lay face-down on the tarmac, bullets were pumped at their supine bodies for what was reportedly a sustained period. Some of us will continue to insist: it is not just "a few rotten apples". Since mid-2007 the Kenyan Police have engaged in an orgy of extra-judicial killings and disappearances. Until June 2018, Mugambi Kiai served as a program officer with the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa and the Africa Governance and Monitoring Project (AfriMAP). An audit of extrajudicial killings needs to be urgently undertaken leading to an open and independent vetting and lustration process of the police: the traditional cosmetic changes where a game of musical chairs is played with the office of the commissioner of police is nowhere near enough. Over the four previous years, 612 people were killed. When Dr. James Ng’ang’a Kariuki Muiruri was shot in cold blood on January 24, 2009, the police officer responsible for the shooting filed a report that a bank robber and Mungiki [a banned criminal organization in Kenya] member had been killed. The extrajudicial killings or extrajudicial executions are unethical on the basis … People & Power investigates allegations that Kenya’s police are involved in extra judicial killings. Kenya police are liars, thieves and murderers because the entire police force from the cabinet secretary to the lowest in rank are all corrupted. Extrajudicial Killings are not new in Kenya. The extrajudicial killings by the police in Kenya are anchored in a systemic lack of accountability and deeply entrenched culture of pervasive impunity. > The war on terror: extrajudicial killings in Kenya. But this was not all that is wrong with the overall picture. Allied to the lies is another method: deny. A number of things, hence, need to happen: investigations by an independent, credible, and competent entity into the January 19 shootings for a start. He gave a press conference in Nairobi on 25 February 2009 at the conclusion of his visit, and that press statement and a shorter press release are available here and here, respectively. And because of this, the police cannot investigate themselves. We use cookies for analytics and to improve your experience. The war on terror: extrajudicial killings in Kenya. Killing them is generally considered an effective strategy to reduce crime in the city. 2017 had been one of the worst years on recent records, with a spike during the presidential election. BY NATHANIEL KABALA. The extrajudicial killings point to a broader problem of police using excessive, unlawful force in the name of maintaining law and order in Nairobi’s informal settlements and failing to … In 1997, the figure had risen to three per week and in 1998, it was two lives every three days. Nairobi Senator Hon. Kenya on the spot over extrajudicial killings, disappearances. SIASA PLACE STATEMENT DATE: 2 nd June, 2020. The Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU), which investigates police brutality, reported 152 deaths by the police in 2017. NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Kenya is once again on the spot despite ongoing police reforms, with security agencies being accused of continuing to infringe on human rights.