Police behind deaths must face the law

A United Nations investigator has delivered a scathing indictment against the Kenya Government over the spate of extra-judicial killings by the police force.

Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, accuses police of “systematic and widespread” killings, and is demanding that the Attorney-General and the Commissioner of Police resign for their apparent complicity.

These findings cannot be taken lightly. Mr Alston was here on an official mission. He cannot be dismissed as a meddler as has been the usual reaction from the police any time accusations of murder, torture and human rights abuses are made.

The UN investigator met with top government officials, as well as local and international human rights groups and representatives of families who claim that their loved ones were killed by police.

It is evident that having weighed information from all sides, Mr Alston chose to believe evidence presented about special police squads that kill in the purported war against Mungiki and other criminal gangs.

The Government cannot afford to respond to the scathing indictment in Mr Alston’s preliminary report with the routine denials and stonewalling.

Even without waiting for the full report to be published, the Government must move fast to investigate all complaints and take immediate action against all officers who may have been involved in illegal executions.

Senior officers who may have sanctioned the killings must step aside. There must be a major overhaul of the police top command, especially because criminals cannot be expected to investigate themselves. We understand that the police have been involved in a vicious war against ruthless criminal gangs, and in such wars there must be casualties.

But the principle that civilisation is grounded on an effective system of law and order cannot be gainsaid. Once the police start breaking the law under the pretext of enforcing the law, the end result is anarchy.

A state of law and order will only be restored when those behind illegal executions are caught and punished.