Kenyan police have killed 15 since start of COVID-19 curfew: oversight body
CGTN
A police officer speaks with a man who tried to sneak past a police checkpoint, after the government announced a two weeks lockdown of the neighbourhood of Eastleigh following a jump in confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, in Nairobi, Kenya May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

A police officer speaks with a man who tried to sneak past a police checkpoint, after the government announced a two weeks lockdown of the neighbourhood of Eastleigh following a jump in confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, in Nairobi, Kenya May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Kenyan police have killed 15 people and injured another 31 since the country imposed restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) said.

IPOA is investigating about 87 complaints which include deaths, shootings, harassment, assaults resulting to serious injuries, robbery, inhuman treatment and sexual assault.

“After preliminary investigations, fifteen (15) deaths and thirty-one (31) incidents where victims sustained injuries have directly been linked to actions of police officers during the curfew enforcement,” reads a statement seen by local Citizen TV and signed by IPOA chairperson Anne Makori.

Kenyan police grabbed the headlines in March after media reports showed numerous footages of officers battering citizens on the first day of a nighttime curfew imposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Since then, reports of police brutality have continued to hit news headlines, capturing the attention of IPOA.

The authority now says it has dispatched Rapid Response teams to establish the circumstances that led to six fatalities in the latest incidents.

“Upon conclusion of the investigations and pursuant to Section 6(a) of the Act, the Authority will make recommendations, including prosecution if criminal culpability is established on the part of the police officers involved,” the statement reads.

The move comes as the world is shocked by the death of an unarmed black man in the United States.

George Floyd died last week after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes during arrest. The disturbing footage of the arrest went viral on social media, sparking nationwide protests which then spilled outside the borders to other countries, including Kenya.

Prosecution of police officers in Kenya is not common. Since its establishment in 2012, the IPOA has convicted only seven police.