Police identify 3 officers in Jkuat attack, plan punishment
What you need to know:
- Police have identified three of the officers as Corporal George Mwathania and Police Constables Jonathan Kibet and Boniface Muthama.
- NPSC boss Eliud Kinuthia on Wednesday explained that the process of identifying the fourth office has taken time because investigators want to ensure the right person is identified.
- Mr Kinuthia said the next course of action against the officers will be guided by the outcome of investigations by Ipoa and the Internal Affairs Unit.
Police are assessing several video clips to identify the fourth officer involved in an attack on a student of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Jkuat) during protests on Monday.
They have identified three of the officers as Corporal George Mwathania and Police Constables Jonathan Kibet and Boniface Muthama.
Two are based at Makongeni Police Station in Thika and the other at Juja Police Station.
National Police Service Commission (NPSC) boss, Eliud Kinuthia, on Wednesday explained that the process of identifying the fourth office has taken time because investigators want to ensure the right person is identified.
“The clips we are assessing were taken from different angles. At the moment, three officers can clearly be picked out but we are not sure about the fourth one. We do not want to confuse a suspect with another," he said.
CONSEQUENCES
In a statement on Wednesday, however, Inspector-General of Police Hilary Mutyambai said the four officers had been identified and interdicted from the service as per police procedures.
Mr Kinuthia said the next course of action against the officers will be guided by the outcome of investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) and the Internal Affairs Unit.
“We urge Ipoa to fast-track their investigations. The outcome of the investigations by the two independent bodies will guide the way forward," he said.
"It may lead to the officers’ dismissal from service, lowering of rank or removal from service."
ARRESTS
Meanwhile, police in Juja have released 17 students and five members of the public who were arrested during the demonstrations.
Five of the officers, including the one who was charge of the operation, are nursing injuries sustained after students hurled stones at them.
They were treated in hospital and discharged.
In a statement that followed the Monday unrest, the university's management announced that it had decided to close it immediately.
Prof Robert Kinyua, the acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, noted, however, that Jkuat's other campuses would remain operational.
