Mumias brutality indicates police reforms have not succeeded

First, there was the rather unusual news about strangers breaking into the Booker police post in Mumias and almost casually walking away with a cache of arms.

A police station is the symbol of security. It is the place anyone would run to for safety. What happened at Booker police post is not only ironic, it also sends dangerous signals to terrorists and other criminals regarding the preparedness of our security forces to handle high level crime.

What is even more worrying, however, is the police reaction to the incident. The officers descended on the nearby sleepy village, ostensibly in search of the lost arsenal. And for three days, in complete violation of the law and international human rights principles, they broke into homes, burnt down houses, violated women by undressing them, and meted out extreme violence on innocent villagers who likely had nothing to do with the lost weapons. The result? Two people dead, dozens injured, women humiliated. The villagers are physically and psychologically damaged.

The question many Kenyans, and especially the unfortunate villagers who were subjected to the brutality of the police officers, are asking is: Why would the police punish poor wananchi for their own incompetence? Why was the station unguarded? Why was it so easy for the gun thieves to gain entry? Was it an inside job, meticulously planned to deceive the world about the real intentions?

WORRY US

There are two things that should worry us. The first is that we have been going through an elaborate police reform process, which commenced with the enactment of the new Constitution in 2010. Virtually all police officers have undergone vetting at an extraordinarily high cost to the taxpayer. The force was renamed the Kenya Police Service to herald what was to be a new chapter in police-citizen relations.

That the police continue to treat citizens, especially those perceived to be poor and lowly, with disdain, demonstrates that little has changed and that the police reforms could be in danger of stalling. Would the police have acted in the same manner if a similar incident had happened, say, in the upmarket Karen estate in Nairobi? Your guess is as good as mine.

The second cause for concern is the impunity with which police continue to use excessive force on unarmed citizens. Several officers have disciplinary cases pending before the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) over extrajudicial killings and other criminal acts. Yet every day we are confronted with images of police brutality. The Mumias case is only the latest in a long list of disgraceful policing.

PEOPLE'S RIGHTS

Why do police officers continue to violate people’s rights? Why should citizens continue to suffer death, injury, and emotional anguish at the hands of the people who are supposed to ensure their safety?

Police officers have the least attractive terms of service. Whereas the situation has somewhat improved over the past few years, most police officers still live in deplorable conditions, their remuneration remains generally low, and they do not have adequate protection for their risky job. Many officers struggle to raise families and meet societal obligations in an increasingly competitive environment. It would seem mental illness is widespread among the rank and file of the police, although it is understated.

The police service, right from the colonial era, was nurtured in a sense of entitlement, shameless corruption, and grand impunity. However, there is no negotiation to the rule of law and respecting human rights. No officer should dump his or her frustrations on defenceless men and women. The relevant authorities must employ the stick and carrot approach – creating an environment where individual officers can thrive and realise their full potential while punishing wrongdoing.

We cannot afford a repeat of the Mumias brutality anywhere else in Kenya.

Justus Nyang’aya is country director, Amnesty International Kenya.

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