Vigilance House tolerating police torture

Walk down any street, count 10 adults, take a good look at their appearances and remember that three of them have been victims of police torture.

According to the Torture Prevalence Survey of the Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU) 30.4 per cent of adult Kenyans have been victims of state torture.

Put another way, seven million adult Kenyans suffer from sleepless nights, anxiety attacks, depression or sexual dysfunction, all resulting from violence meted out on them by law enforcing agents, whose salaries taxpayers pay.

Thousands of victims are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but remain undiagnosed while their loved ones have to live with sudden changes in their behaviour and personality.

Worse still, torture has increased since the passing of the Constitution in 2010 and from the time when Jubilee came to power. 

IMLU’s previous survey was produced in 2011 and revealed that 23 per cent of respondents have experienced state torture.

The figure has now risen to 30.4 per cent. That means that 727 of the 2,300 interviewed have been victims of torture and 75 per cent of that amount have experienced police torture since 2012.

An increase in the number of victims by seven per cent in five years indicates that far from reducing, torture is more prevalent and more tolerated.

Torture is most frequently meted out by the Regular Police.

That comes as no surprise as previous research done by IMLU on extra-judicial killings have shown that you are twice as likely to be killed by police as robbers in Kenya. 

The most common forms of torture are beatings, strangulations and killings and most of the violence is committed in the victims’ homes or in police cells.

Fifty two per cent of victims had physical injuries resulting from the beatings and 60 per cent suffered psychological damage.

NEW BILL

The litany of ills goes on and on with victims usually denied medical treatment and of the 727 interviewed only 8.3 per cent or 60 in number managed to have the perpetrators arrested.

This is shocking and depressing reading, but will things ever change?

Police spokesman Charles Owino, as usual, attended the IMLU press briefing and promised to take action but who takes him seriously as he has been the voice that defends impunity in the law enforcers for ages.

Torture cases and extra-judicial killings are on the rise because Mr Kenyatta’s government approves or at least never condemns police brutality.

This has been the case ever since Patrick Shaw walked around the city streets and eliminated suspects in broad daylight.

Five hundred Mungiki were executed in 2007 and KNCHR was attacked for revealing the massacre.

Philip Alston, the UN Rapporteur, came in 2009 and detailed how police get away with murder and he, too, was lambasted.

Police torture, brutality and killings are sanctioned all the way to the top in Vigilance House and State House.

IMLU has been tireless in lobbying for the passing of the Anti Torture Bill and the Coroners Bill for over a decade.

Yet, even new legislation alone will not protect citizens from state torture until Mr Kenyatta and his Cabinet consistently and genuinely condemn the crime and invest heavily in recruiting and training police who will serve and protect all Kenyans.

[email protected] @GabrielDolan1