Report sheds light on extrajudicial killing of 800 Mathare youths

A member of the civil society cries during a protest dubbed "Stop extrajudicial killings" on the killing of human rights lawyer, Willie Kimani, his client and their driver in Nairobi, Kenya, July 4, 2016. /REUTERS
A member of the civil society cries during a protest dubbed "Stop extrajudicial killings" on the killing of human rights lawyer, Willie Kimani, his client and their driver in Nairobi, Kenya, July 4, 2016. /REUTERS

Police have gunned down 805 youths in Mathare and surrounding areas between 2013 and 2015, a report shows.

Dubbed 'Who is Next?', the report shows that those killed are mostly male aged between 13 and 20 years of different ethnicities, Most were intercepted by police even after surrendering, or were on the run.

The report by grassroots human rights group Mathare Social Justice notes that executions take place in front of family members and neighbours, with some being shot at close range or in the back.

Among the hot spots are Huruma Sports Grounds, Migingo Corner and Austins Grounds.

"We also include a tally of those police killings from 2013 to 2015 that we collated from those reported daily in newspapers.

"These killings, documented in such an offhand manner, come to 803 deaths, which alone challenges the vast understimations otherwise calculated in the media," the report launched on Tuesday noted.

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The executions are seen as a quest by police to reign in on crime in Mathare, Dandora and other parts of Eastlands.

However the killings have become a norm. One officer, locally known as Hessy, has drawn both praise and condemnation for the killings.

The report shows that in 2013, a total of 308 killings were recorded, while in 2014 there was 418 executions. The lowest number was recorded in 2015, when 77 youths were killed.

"Without these stories, without putting a human face to this tragedy, the response will remain inadequate," the report reads.

"Above all, we do this for ourselves and community; for the aunt who has lost her four children, for the families of Stephen Gichuru, Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwenda, Joseph Muiruri, Kwekwe Mwandaza, and all many young Muslims men whose names we do not always know but we will remember."

The report is a portrait of victims, together with the locations and circumstances behind their executions as narrated by family members and relatives.

"The police officers involved are known and still walk around. Frequently we see the pictures of the dead posted by the police in WhatsApp groups to 'warn' others," the report notes.

Silence from members of the public and delays in dispensing justice results in more executions.

"There is a pattern where communities are intimidated and fear consequences of acting as witnesses. They say that this is normal; the police are always shooting people," the report says.

Police reports often indicate that the victims are thieves caught with weapons including homemade guns and ammunition, or with knives.

However speculation is rife that these weapons are planted by police after he executions.

Attempts to reach IPOA chair Macharia Njeru to comment on the report were futile as he did not respond to calls or texts.

Interior ministry spokesperson Mwenda Njoka was also unavailable for comment.

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