Senators to probe conduct of police
What you need to know:
- Lawmakers from both sides of the political divide argued that the force used by police against protests was excessive.
- This would mean the committees may be approved by Tuesday before the House adjourns.
Senators will conduct investigations into the conduct of police officers blamed for violent disruptions of demos, deaths and destruction in the last four months.
Lawmakers from both sides of the political divide Thursday agreed on the need for such investigations, arguing that the force used by police against protests was excessive.
Mr Moses Wetang’ula and Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina complained about the use of excessive force and the fact that the government had not launched investigations into the killings.
DELAY
“Governments are custodians of public morality and, on account of the deaths the country has witnessed, it should have moved to investigate the circumstances under which Kenyans lost their lives,” Mr Wetang’ula said, to applause from both sides of the House.
However, the investigations may delay as the House is yet to constitute its committees owing to a standoff between Jubilee and the opposition.
Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka ordered the two main parties to submit lists of their nominees to the 12 panels before the end of business.
This would mean the committees may be approved by Tuesday before the House adjourns for Christmas on Thursday.
Mr Wetang’ula said the conduct of police officers raised issues whose answers must be sought through investigations to be carried out by the Committee on Security.
Some of the issues to be investigated are brutality against protesters, extra-judicial killings, circumstances under which police have been using live bullets to quell demos, whether dreadlocked individuals who have been captured in police uniforms are officers and circumstances that led to police storming University of Nairobi, lobbying tear gas canisters and beating up students and lecturers.
