President Ruto asked to order Investigations into the disbanded Police Squad

 

Members of the Police Reforms Working Group-Kenya Western Region Chapter led by its Coordinator Collins Kodhek address the press in Kisumu today-Story and Photo By Dickson Odhiambo

October 19, 2022

President Ruto asked to order Investigations into the disbanded Police Squad

PRESIDENT Dr William Ruto has been urged to quickly order investigations into the just disbanded Special Service Unit {SSU} and ensure that Police officers found culpable of extra-judicial killings are arrested and charged.

The Police Reforms Working Group-Kenya, an alliance of national and grassroots organizations committed to professional, accountable and human rights-compliant policing says disbanding the unit is not enough and the President should act swiftly by ordering investigations into its activities that some have led to extra-judicial killings in some parts of the country.

“Disbanding the special unit is not enough Members of the SSU must be investigated and prosecuted for their individual and command roles in extortion, abductions, kidnappings, torture, Extrajudicial Executions, Enforced disappearances, which are serious crimes,” says part of the Press statement to the newsrooms.

Addressing the media in Kisumu today, the Alliance’s Western Chapter Coordinator Collins Kodhek has urged the Internal Affairs Unit of National Police Service to initiate investigations into the activities of the SSU and crimes committed immediately and to make strong recommendations to the Inspector General of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions to take action and seek justice and accountability. 

The Group further demand that all the recruitment and appointment to the police leadership should be thoroughly vetted to ensure that no one with record of human rights violations or criminal record are appointed to the helm of NPS, adding that the leadership of the National Police Service should be headed by officers with pro-reform credentials and not those who have previously abated unlawful use of force and firearms. 

“We demand that the President make public the report submitted by the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) that triggered the disbandment of the SSU. It is vital that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) fulfils its role in exercising disciplinary control over police officers. In order to prevent the creation of units that act outside the law, the Commission must take responsibility for its function and mandate and undertake a radical transformation of the policing institution and system,” they further say.

They say the Judicial and Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry to be established to investigate extortion, abductions, kidnappings, torture, extra-judicial executions and enforced disappearances, adding that this will facilitate truth, justice and accountability and ‘deal with history’ as the President Ruto promised.

They also want the National government to issue a national apology to all families of victims and to the Nation for lives lost, families broken, livelihoods lost, and communities traumatised by the lawlessness of officers of these special units, adding that it should immediately establish the Victims Reparations Fund under the Victims Protection Board to facilitate reparations for all families of victims and survivors of these state atrocities.

“The government to immediately commence the process of appointing the National Coroner to facilitate independent investigations into all reportable and questionable deaths in Kenya. Additionally, we urge the Government to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in accordance with its constitutional and international obligations.,” they add.