Over the years the Kenyan Police has developed a well-known dubious reputation for being a source of insecurity and unrest in the country rather than a source of security. The Kenyan police in most cases are a clear, real and imminent risk to the lives of the Kenyan people. The change from the usual security institution to an insecure institution by the police did not happen immediately. This was due to unavoidable results of several circumstances over which the police officers themselves had no control. For example, the police officers are paid less than due and are poorly equipped, while others may be within the Kenyan Police Command due to persistent dishonesty and fraudulent activity.
Previously, the police were under theThe Constitution is ready to receive and carry out orders given to achieve political ends. As a result, the government deploys a special police unit to deal with the problem, and such a unit would operate with maximum risk and high compensation. In the case of Kenya, however, the government is foolish about activities by such an entity. The police face more challenges than any other entity in Kenya, but one of the main things that has increased this risk is involvement in illegal killings, particularly for political purposes. Notably, this is no longer news as it has become a habit that has a clear pattern among police officers.
Cadre in Kenya conducting illegal killings for the government as exposed by Al Jazeera
Increase in crime:
In 1990 there was a rapid increase in crime in Kenya. To stamp out the high rate of carjacking, violent robbery and other emerging crimes, the government created a new special police force in 1995 called The Flying Squad. The new entity was specifically granted the privilege of shooting any suspect without a trial or other formal court action. This led to the unit being involved in several shocking illegal killings that allowed the new security goals to be met.
Most often, police officers were caught shooting suspects even after they surrendered or surrendered. The special forces killed a number of innocent Kenyan residents without showing any sense of remorse for their actions. The police were always ready to kill at the slightest provocation and the police command never considered it dangerous. Rather, it was much admired as the only solution to eradicating flight crime.
The late 1980s and 1990s saw deep economic challenges that heightened insecurity as criminal gangs emerged and rapidly proliferated across the country. The criminal gangs created their spheres of influence primarily in slum areas. To strengthen community loyalty and improve law enforcement, the gangs (Mungiki, Taliban, Kosovo boys, Baghdad boys, Chinkororo, and Kalenjin warriors) provided security for a sham payment. The group called Mungiki in Kikuyu means “multitude”. There was a combination of cultural and political elements in the group’s operations. When they were first established, the social aspect of the group, which involved traditional Kikuyu beliefs in their god called Ngai, felt more clearly. Later, as the groups grew, they adopted a brazen political stance that did not sit well with the state, leading to their confrontation with the state.
Operating mainly in Nairobi’s slums, the Central Province and parts of the Rift Valley, the groups provided bailout to the poor living in the slums, and refusal to pay the security fee almost always resulted in violence and killings. In retaliation, the Kenyan government officially banned 18 of these criminal gangs and organizations in 2002. In 2007, the spread of Mungiki influence forced the government to invent a special unit called the Kwekwe, whose main task was to seek out and apprehend members of the Mungiki. This Kenyan force went too far in hunting Mungiki, causing more unrest than peace.
Based on reports from the National Commission of Human Rights in 2008, the police have committed illegal killings and other reckless acts against members of Mungiki and these cruel acts may have been carried out in accordance with official policy, which has been expressly endorsed by the Police Commissioner of the Chief Police Commanders and the Kenyan Government. According to observations by HRW in 2008, the action of this Kenyan police group showed even worse cruelty than Mungiki’s.
Measures to combat terrorism:
Previously, considering most of the incidents that Kenya took place in the past, including the 1998 attack on the US embassy that targeted Western interests. Kenya has been seen as a target for entrenchment in the Western sphere of interest and is therefore in the crosshairs of the transnational jihadi movement and jihadi movement. In addition, terrorism in Kenya became a formidable target following its involvement in Somalia in 2011. This led to several terrorist attacks, including the attack on the Westgate shopping center that killed 67 people and wounded 200 at the hands of unidentified gunmen in September 2013.
Consequently, in order to root out nascent terrorism, the Kenyan government established the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) in March 2003 following a savage attack on an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa. The 2012 Anti-Terror Law was also passed as one of many responses to Kenya’s fight against terrorism. In addition, the Kenyan government took strict measures against the Somali and Muslim populations, particularly in Nairobi, northern Kenya and coastal Kenya. Several illegal killings of Muslim preachers continued. Scores of people were killed in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa as the crackdown intensified. The victims were mainly suspected of having links to the Somali al-Shabab group.
Second, an investigation by the Human Rights organization in August 2014 shows the involvement of the anti-terrorist police unit in some of these illegal killings. According to their 2014 report, “Kenya: Murders, Enforced Disappearances by Counter-Terrorism Police”,…at least 10 cases of extrajudicial killings of terror suspects have been documented, some of whom were last seen in ATPU custody or threatened by the unit’s officers , after the courts released them”. The victims, particularly the Muslim leaders, were accused of using their mosque to recruit young Muslims for acts of terrorism. Although the government launched investigations into the clerics, it never followed proper procedures in prosecuting the imams. Following widespread public disapproval of government actions, particularly over the assassination of Muslim cleric Ibrahim “Rogo” Omar, the government set up a task force to investigate his murder. As a result, in 2013, the prosecutor guaranteed the public that he would conduct an inquest to establish the facts surrounding the murder of Muslim cleric Ibrahim “Rogo” Omar, whose promise has not yet been fulfilled.
After the 2007-2008 violence in Kenya, the Waki Commission was established to investigate the circumstances of the violence and offer solutions during this period (2007-2008). After several investigations, they found that out of 1,500 deaths, the police were basically responsible for 30%. As a result, a number of reform measures have been proposed, including the establishment of civilian oversight of the police and a number of other reforms. However, the reforms have stopped making progress due to a lack of political will. Illegal police killings in Kenya are anchored by a systemic lack of accountability and an entrenched culture of the unwanted influence of impunity.
Despite the fact that the Kenyan police face ever-changing security issues and involvement in illegal killings, this makes the situation worse and requires immensely the effective brokerage of reforms in Kenya’s security sector. Considering most incidents that have transpired in the past, including the 1998 US Embassy attack on Western interests, agree with me that the original purpose of a police force in Kenya has been defeated.
While the police no doubt face new and daily changing security difficulties, his involvement in activities that challenge his moral decadence have gradually transformed him from a friend of the people to a colossal monster you must not face in times of need. So when you are in Kenya, the police are definitely NOT your friend.
Sources:
- Al Jazeera Investigated – Inside Kenya’s Death Squads
- Daily Mail
- Daily Nation