Protests happen nearly a yr after a number of killed and seized by Kenyan police in finance invoice protests.
Protesters took to the streets of Kenya’s capital Nairobi to specific their fury over the loss of life of a blogger arrested by police final week, because the nation’s police watchdog reported that 20 individuals had died in custody over the past 4 months.
Police used tear fuel to disperse crowds gathered near the capital’s parliamentary constructing on Thursday to protest towards the loss of life of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old blogger arrested within the western city of Homa Bay final week for criticising the nation’s deputy police chief Eliud Lagat.
Police had initially stated Ojwang died “after hitting his head towards a cell wall”, however pathologist Bernard Midia, a part of a crew that performed an post-mortem, stated the injuries – together with a head harm, neck compression and gentle tissue harm – pointed to assault as the reason for loss of life.
On Wednesday, President William Ruto admitted Ojwang had died “by the hands of the police”, reversing earlier official accounts of his loss of life, saying in an announcement that it was “heartbreaking and unacceptable”.
Kenyan media shops reported on Thursday {that a} police constable had been arrested over Ojwang’s loss of life.
Reporting from the protests in Nairobi, Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb stated that Ojwang, who wrote about political and social points, had posted on-line about Lagat’s alleged position in a “bribery scandal”, wherein the deputy police chief had already been implicated by a newspaper investigation.
“It’s angered those that he was detained for that, after which days later, useless in a police station,” stated Webb, who added that folks had been calling for Lagat to be held to account, and “persisting in throwing stones on the police regardless of one volley of tear fuel after the following being fired at them”.
Finance invoice protests: one yr on
The case has shone a light-weight on the nation’s safety providers, who’ve been accused of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances for years.
On Thursday, Impartial Policing Oversight Authority chairperson Issak Hassan instructed lawmakers that there had been “20 deaths in police custody within the final 4 months”.
The authorities at the moment are conducting an official investigation into Ojwang’s loss of life.
On Wednesday, Inspector Normal Douglas Kanja apologised for police having beforehand implied that Ojwang died by suicide, telling a Senate listening to: “He didn’t hit his head towards the wall.”
Ojwang’s loss of life comes nearly a yr after a number of activists and protesters had been killed and brought by police throughout finance invoice protests – many are nonetheless lacking.
The rallies led to requires the elimination of Ruto, who was criticised for the crackdown.
Amnesty Worldwide stated Ojwang’s loss of life in custody on Saturday “should be urgently, completely and independently investigated”.
