WHO IS POLICING THE POLICE?
The year is 2020, history books will read. The whole world was brought to a standstill by one virus, COVID-19. Lockdowns, curfews and cessations were made as a measure to curb the virus. To effect these, police officers were called out to ensure that the citizens abide by this new 7.00 p.m curfew. The language spoken by men in uniform in my country is different. Its mostly bullets, bribes and lynching. Police brutality in Kenya dates as back as time could tell.
The police, who are called out whenever there is chaos find every reason to beat and shot anyone who stands in their way. It's a common phenomenon to watch them hurl tear gas canisters at protesters beat or shoot people as a means to “disperse crowds”.Kenyans from different parts of the country found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Their day to day activities that necessitated long hours of hustling did not go hand in hand with the time allocated. In Nairobi, many were found in the CBD trying to close shop or clear their business. The police, without apparent justification, shot and beat people at markets or returning home from work, even before the daily start of the curfew. Police also broke into homes and shops, extorted money from residents or looted food in locations across the country.
On March 31, at around midnight in the Kiamaiko neighbourhood, in Nairobi’s Eastlands area, the police shot live ammunition at Yassin Hussein Moyo, 13, hitting him in the stomach and killing him. His father, Hussein Moyo, told the Kenyan media that his son was standing on the third-floor balcony at midnight alongside his siblings when the bullet struck him.
Baby Pendo a 6-month-old infant was the face of police brutality in Kenya during the post-election violence. The tot died after being bashed on the head by one of the baton-wielding policemen, who had laid siege to her parents’ house. The police officers, whose main job was to ensure security, broke into Baby Pendos home lobbing in tear gas canisters. The infant mom ran out of the house cradling her to escape the smoke which she feared would suffocate her baby. She ran straight into a policeman who attacked her. It was during this commotion that she felt a tight grip on her arm only to see her daughter foaming on the mouth. Justice for #babyPendo is yet to be served.
The latest victim is Vaite, a homeless man who worked in Marikiti market in Nairobi. He used to sleep on pavements on two nights ago was ganged down by police who were enforcing curfews in Mathare slums.
We keep pushing hashtags on twitter which is the new way of protesting. Clearly the protests are falling in deaf ears. With each passing day a mother losses her son. The big ask is until when? When will all this end? When will it be safe for the underprivileged sons of this soil to traverse the land? When will the policing of the police begin?