Lang'ata protest: Bishops demand further punishment for police

Condemnation by civil society of the excessive force used by police on school children continued on Tuesday.

Catholic bishops demanded further punishment for the officers who tear-gassed the pupils of Lang'ata Road Primary School during a demonstration over a playground that was allegedly grabbed.

“The police were in no danger and had no reason whatsoever to resort to use brutal force,” said a statement from the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB)’s Commission on Education and Religious Education, which likened the police response to using a hammer to kill a fly.

On Monday, police disrupted demonstrations by pupils who were protesting the grabbing of their school’s playground by unknown people.

A perimeter wall had been constructed by a developer despite public outcry. When activists arrived, they attempted to forcibly gain entry through the gate and police responded with tear gas. A section of the wall was eventually brought down.

VIOLATED RIGHTS

On Tuesday, local anti-poverty campaigner ActionAid also spoke out against the grabbing of the playground and the violence meted out on the children.

“The act is a violation of the children’s rights and the Constitution. We condemn the grabbing of the playground which denies the children the right to recreation and development,” ActionAid said.

“Attacking innocent children is a retrogression of the government’s commitment to protect children from all forms of violence both physical and emotional.”

Police command on Monday reacted to the incident by suspending Lang’ata OCPD Elijah Mwangi but the bishops felt more officers should have been punished.

“We believe that this is not enough and more action must be taken on all parties that participated in visiting brutality on children,” the Commission’s Vice-Chair, Reverend Maurice Crowley, said.

But the Church also accused activists of “deliberate use of children in demonstrations, exposing them to danger”.

On Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta demanded that the Ministry of Land and the National Land Commission be held accountable for the debacle, saying the issue should have been resolved sooner.

But ActionAid and the Catholic Church want the grabbing of public land to stop. Specifically, ActionAid demanded that all public schools be issued with title deeds to ensure the land they sit on is protected.