Human rights group report on police killings PR gimmick – Charles Owino

The police department has termed a recent report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) group castigating officers of extrajudicial killings and disappearance of various individuals as a public relations gimmick aimed at soliciting funds from donors.

Police spokesman Charles Owino, who spoke to reporters in Nakuru Thursday, said that the police department was the custodian of the law and has its own mechanism of carrying out investigations.

While reiterating that the police have the task to protect life and property, Owino observed that with the presence of institutions like the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), the Human Right Watch can easily channel complains that can be investigated by an independent body like witness protection and office of the DPP  devoid of any interference.

Owino stated that it was wrong to have a blanket condemnation towards the police  adding that this would  widen the gap between police and the public.

He said that with the ongoing reforms in the police service , police were more committed to their work and are more than willing to be closer to the  people.

He challenged the Human Rights Watch to involve independent bodies in their investigations and produce a detailed report in thirty days which they as a department will be more than willing to challenge.

The report indicated that  Kenya’s efforts to tackle its escalating security crisis have been marred by serious human rights violations by Kenyan security forces, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and torture.

It also indicated that the government rarely investigates or prosecutes security officers for such abuse.

According to the report, at least 34 people have allegedly disappeared in the hands of security forces and 11 bodies of people previously arrested by state agents found within the past two years. This is according to a new report by the International Human Rights Watch on deaths and disappearances arising from the counter-terrorism operations in Kenya’s North Eastern and Nairobi regions.