Killed ‘by those meant to protect’: Kenyans outraged by police violence

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Nairobi, Kenya – On June 7, Albert Ojwang was visiting his parents successful his location colony of Kakoth successful Kenya’s Homa Bay County. His parent had conscionable served him ugali (maize meal) and sukuma wiki (kale) for luncheon erstwhile constabulary officers connected motorbikes arrived astatine the family’s compound.

Before Ojwang could instrumentality a archetypal bite, they arrested him, taking him to the section Mawego constabulary presumption earlier transporting him 350km (200 miles) to the Central Police Station successful the capital, Nairobi.

The officers told his parents helium had committed an maltreatment against a elder authorities authoritative and was being arrested for publishing “false information” astir the antheral connected societal media.

Ojwang, a blogger and teacher, had nary transgression grounds and was conscionable a period shy of his 31st birthday. But it was a solemnisation helium would not unrecorded to spot due to the fact that little than a time aboriginal helium was dead.

Police said helium died by termination aft “hitting his head” against the partition of a compartment wherever helium was being held alone. But aft an uproar from the nationalist and rights groups and further investigation, the assertion did not clasp up. Eventually, 2 constabulary officers were arrested.

Still, the nationalist choler that erupted aft Ojwang’s decease did not abate.

Kenyans person been connected tenterhooks since wide antigovernment protests erupted crossed the state a twelvemonth agone – archetypal against taxation increases successful a concern measure and aboriginal for the resignation of President William Ruto.

In the clip since, constabulary person been accused of quality rights abuses, including allegations of authorities critics and activists being abducted and tortured.

Ojwang was seen by galore arsenic yet different unfortunate of a strategy trying to soundlessness those attempting to clasp the authorities to account.

And successful the period since his death, aggravated protests person soared; authorities unit – and deaths – against civilians person continued; and young radical look determined not to springiness in.

‘False and malicious information’

Ojwang was the lone kid of Eucabeth Ojwang and Meshack Opiyo, a retired quarry idiosyncratic who had endured hard labour for 20 years successful Kilifi County to nonstop his lad to school.

Opiyo near the back-breaking occupation aft Albert Ojwang had secured a occupation arsenic a teacher, hoping his lad would assistance instrumentality attraction of the household aft earning a grade successful education.

“I had lone 1 child. There’s nary daughter. There’s nary different lad aft him,” helium told Al Jazeera. “I person suffered … portion [working] successful a quarry successful Timbo for 20 years truthful that my kid could spell done schoolhouse and gain a degree,” helium added, saying Ojwang near down a three-year-old son.

Ojwang was a promising teacher astatine Kituma Boys’ Secondary School successful the coastal Taita Taveta County, astir 700km (435 miles) southeast of his puerility home, his household said.

Media reports said helium was linked to an relationship connected X that respective radical utilized to people quality astir Kenya’s authorities and politics. That’s what drew the attraction of the authorities who came to his father’s location that June afternoon.

That day, the arresting officers assured Opiyo his lad would beryllium harmless erstwhile they took him into custody. Overnight, the begetter near for Nairobi – taking his onshore rubric deed with him to usage arsenic a surety to bail his lad retired due to the fact that helium had nary different money. But the quality helium received was of his son’s death.

“I thought we would travel and lick this issue. I adjacent person a rubric deed present successful my pouch that I had equipped myself with, truthful that if determination were going to beryllium request for bail, we would speech with a lawyer to bail him,” Opiyo told journalists the Sunday greeting aft his son’s death, having conscionable learned what had happened to him.

Despite constabulary claims that Ojwang died from self-inflicted injuries, his household and the nationalist were sceptical. Human rights advocates and societal media users alleged foul play and an authoritative cover-up by police.

As nationalist unit mounted connected the constabulary to connection clarity, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja confirmed that his deputy, Eliud Lagat, was the elder authoritative who had made a “formal complaint” that led to Ojwang’s arrest.

“The ailment alleged that mendacious and malicious accusation had been published against him [Lagat] successful the X – that is, formerly Twitter – societal media platform. The station claimed that helium was progressive successful corruption wrong the National Police Service,” Kanja said earlier Kenya’s Senate and the media connected June 11.

At first, Kanja repeated to the media that Ojwang had deed his caput connected the wall, sidesplitting himself successful the process. But erstwhile questioned by lawmakers successful the Senate, helium admitted that was incorrect.

“Going by the study that we person gotten from IPOA [Independent Policing Oversight Authority], it is not true; helium did not deed his caput against the wall,” Kanja said. “I tender my apology connected behalf of the National Police Service due to the fact that of that information.”

A squad of 5 authorities pathologists besides released a report that revealed terrible caput injuries, cervix compression and aggregate brushed insubstantial traumas. The origin of Ojwang’s death, they determined, was a effect of the injuries, not a self-inflicted incident.

Meanwhile, Ann Wanjiku, the IPOA vice chairperson, told senators that preliminary findings showed Ojwang was unsocial successful the compartment but 2 witnesses who were successful the adjacent compartment said they heard large screams from wherever Ojwang was held.

The IPOA study besides suggested determination was foul play astatine the Nairobi Police Station due to the fact that CCTV cameras had been tampered with connected Sunday greeting aft Ojwang’s death.

Subsequently, respective radical were arrested and investigated, including 2 constabulary officers who person been charged.

Police Constable James Mukhwana, an serviceman arrested and arraigned successful tribunal implicit Ojwang’s death, told IPOA investigators that helium had acted connected orders of his boss.

“It is an bid from the boss. You cannot diminution an bid from your superior. If you refuse, thing whitethorn hap to you,” helium said successful a connection to the IPOA. He added that his superior told him: “I privation you to spell to the compartment and look astatine those who person been successful remand for long. Tell them determination is enactment I privation them to do. There is simply a captive being brought in. Take attraction of him.”

Mukhwana pleaded not blameworthy successful tribunal but said helium was atrocious astir the decease successful his statement, adding: “Ojwang was not meant to beryllium killed but to beryllium disciplined arsenic per instruction.”

Who is ‘sanctioning’ these killings?

Since Ojwang’s death, Kenyan rights organisations person condemned what they accidental is his “murder”, calling the nonaccomplishment by authorities to clasp accountable those liable for constabulary brutality arsenic disrespect for quality rights.

“The savage beating to decease of Albert Ojwang and the consequent attempts to screen this up shatter erstwhile much the estimation of the enactment of the Kenyan Police Service,” Irungu Houghton, the enforcement manager astatine Amnesty International Kenya, told Al Jazeera.

“Amnesty International Kenya believes the nonaccomplishment to clasp officers and their commanders accountable for 2 successive years of constabulary brutality has bred the existent impunity and disrespect for quality rights,” helium said.

Houghton besides called for each those implicated to measurement speech and let for investigations to instrumentality place.

“To reconstruct nationalist assurance and trust, each officers implicated indispensable beryllium arrested. … Investigations indispensable beryllium fair, thorough and swift. This infinitesimal demands nary less.”

Amnesty has antecedently called retired constabulary abuses, including “excessive unit and unit during protests”, and reported abductions of civilians by information forces. Rights groups said much than 90 radical person been forcibly disappeared since June 2024.

“Albert Ojwang’s sidesplitting successful a constabulary presumption comes aft persistent repeated constabulary denials that the mean concatenation of constabulary bid is not liable for the 65 deaths and 90-plus enforced disappearances seen successful 2024,” Houghton said.

“Who are the officers abducting and sidesplitting those who criticise the state? Who is sanctioning oregon instructing these officers? Why has the authorities recovered it truthful hard to trigger heavy reforms to support alternatively than stifle Kenyans’ law state of code and assembly arsenic good arsenic enactment connected nationalist argumentation opinion?” helium asked.

Speaking successful an interrogation with Kenya’s TV47 connected June 24, the National Police Service Spokesperson Michael Muchiri acknowledged constabulary brutality wrong the service, saying it was wrong.

“We judge and we admit that wrong our ranks, we’ve gotten it incorrect aggregate times,” helium said. But helium added: “An enactment by 1 of us, and determination person been a mates of them galore times over, should not successful immoderate mode beryllium a reflection of the full organisation.”

Al Jazeera reached retired to Deputy Inspector General of Police Lagat to remark connected the allegations against him, but helium did not respond.

Shot astatine protests

Many of the Kenyans reportedly targeted by constabulary and different “state agents” were young, vocal participants successful the antigovernment protests that engulfed the superior and different cities past year.

After Ojwang’s death, the Gen Z protesters erstwhile again erupted successful anger.

On June 17, they staged a objection successful Nairobi to request justness for their fallen comrade. Things soon got retired of manus arsenic the constabulary utilized force, resulting successful fatalities among the young people.

Boniface Kariuki, a disguise vendor successful Nairobi, was caught betwixt the constabulary and protesters, and the constabulary fired a rubber slug astatine his caput astatine adjacent range, sending him to an intensive attraction portion astatine the Kenyatta National Hospital. He was declared encephalon dormant aft a fewer days and died connected June 30.

An autopsy study released connected Thursday said Kariuki “died from terrible caput injuries caused by a azygous close-range gunshot”. It further revealed that 4 slug fragments remained lodged successful his brain.

Two officers who had been caught connected camera firing the deadly slug person been charged.

This came astir the clip Kenyan younker besides marked a twelvemonth since the antigovernment protests began connected June 25, 2024.

In enactment with the anniversary, galore young radical crossed the state took to the streets to explicit their choler against the government.

Those protests besides became violent. Many businesses were destroyed successful Nairobi, and immoderate constabulary stations successful different places were acceptable ablaze.

That aforesaid day, 3 17-year-olds, among others, were changeable dormant successful antithetic parts of the country. While the constabulary person not commented connected the deaths, the victims’ families and rights groups accidental each 3 were killed successful crossfire during the protests.

Dennis Njuguna, a pupil successful his last twelvemonth of secondary school, was changeable successful Molo, Nakuru County, arsenic helium headed location from schoolhouse for his mid-term break.

In Nairobi’s Roysambu country connected the Thika Superhighway, constabulary reportedly besides changeable dormant Elijah Muthoka, whose parent said helium had gone to a tailor but did not travel back. That evening, she would person the quality that helium was hospitalised astatine the adjacent Uhai Neema Hospital. He was past transferred to the Kenyatta National Hospital and pronounced dormant the adjacent morning.

Outside Nairobi successful Olkalou, Nyandarua County, Brian Ndung’u was changeable doubly successful the head, according to an autopsy study released by pathologists astatine the JM Kariuki County Referral Hospital. Margaret Gichuki, Ndung’u’s sister, said her member had conscionable completed his secondary schoolhouse acquisition and learned photography truthful helium could assistance rise his assemblage fees unneurotic with their mother, who is simply a regular wage labourer.

“He had gone retired to bash thoroughfare photography, which was his passion, and that is wherever helium got shot. I was location and learned astir his shooting done Facebook images that were shared by friends,” Gichuki told Al Jazeera.

Gichuki described her member arsenic a hardworking young antheral who had a batch of dreams, but which were chopped abbreviated by the bullet. “After the autopsy, we could not get further accusation astir the individuality of the slug that was removed from his head, arsenic the constabulary took it,” she said, explaining that 1 slug was fragmented successful his encephalon portion different was removed by doctors and handed to the constabulary during autopsy.

Together with their relative Margaret Wanjiku, Gichuki past called to pass their parent that Ndung’u was missing – not wanting to instantly daze her with the quality that her lad had died.

“Ndung’u had been pronounced dormant connected accomplishment astatine the hospital, but this was quality that carried value for [our mother], and we wanted to person her travel location earlier we could interruption it different than archer her implicit the phone,” Wanjiku said.

‘Surge’ successful harassment

Less than 2 weeks aft that, Kenyans again took to the streets successful demonstrations that erstwhile again turned deadly.

On Monday, they rallied for “Saba Saba” meaning “Seven Seven” successful Kiswahili to people the day connected July 7, 1990, erstwhile radical demanded a instrumentality to multiparty ideology aft years of regularisation by then-President Daniel arap Moi.

This year, the protestation turned into a wider telephone for Ruto to resign and besides a infinitesimal to retrieve Ojwang.

Four days earlier, Ojwang’s assemblage had arrived astatine his location successful Homa Bay for a nighttime vigil earlier his burial the adjacent day.

When it arrived, aggravated younker took clasp of the coffin and marched with it to the Mawego constabulary station, wherever helium was past seen live earlier helium was taken to Nairobi.

At the station, the younker acceptable the presumption ablaze earlier making their mode backmost to Ojwang’s location with his body.

The adjacent time astatine the funeral, Anna Ngumi, a person of Ojwang’s, told mourners: “We are not going to rest. We are not going to remainder until justness is done. Remember we are inactive celebrating Seven Seven here. We volition bash Seven Seven for Albert Ojwang.”

But astatine the rallies, constabulary were erstwhile again heavy-handed. In Nairobi, they fired unrecorded rounds and h2o cannon astatine the protesters. Eleven radical were killed.

The Kenya National Commission connected Human Rights said radical were besides abducted and arrested, adding that it was “deeply acrophobic by the caller surge successful harassment and persecution of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) accused of organizing the ongoing protests”.

‘Why did you termination my child?’

Within his circles, Ojwang is said to person been a humble idiosyncratic who ne'er quarrelled with anyone and alternatively sought bid whenever determination was a conflict.

His assemblage person Daniel Mushwahili said Ojwang was humble and sociable.

“I knew this idiosyncratic arsenic a precise chill and outgoing person. He had galore friends. … He was not an arrogant person, not a bully, and did not adjacent enactment successful harassing anybody,” Mushwahili said. He was “a idiosyncratic who seeks peace”.

Ojwang’s parent Eucabeth, speaking astatine a reception by comedian Eric Omondi, lamented her son’s killing, saying she had mislaid her lone kid and did not cognize however the household would header without him.

“I had anticipation this kid would assistance maine successful gathering a house. He adjacent had a task to works vegetables, truthful we could merchantability and marque money. Now I don’t cognize wherever to commencement without him,” she said.

“I consciousness a batch of symptom due to the fact that determination are radical who came location and took my son. … I consciousness a batch of symptom due to the fact that helium is dead.”

Meanwhile, arsenic the probe into Ojwang’s decease continues, his begetter says helium misses his “trustworthy” son, who helium relied connected to instrumentality attraction of the family’s astir invaluable things, adjacent with the small they had.

Opiyo said that erstwhile the officers came to their location to apprehension his son, they saw however small the household had and knew they would not combat back. In his grief, helium said helium present wants answers from the constabulary and successful peculiar Deputy Inspector General Lagat, who made the ailment against Ojwang.

“Today, my lad is dormant from injuries inflicted done beating. I request you to explicate to maine wherefore you killed my child,” Opiyo said.

“My lad did not dice successful an mishap oregon successful war. He died successful soundlessness successful the hands of those who were expected to support him.”

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