- Out of the 219, 187 cases were of police killings, it said, and that 32 of were of people disappeared at the hands of police.
- But National Police Service spokesman Bruno Shioso dismissed the report as subjective.
Image: COURTESY
A coalition of civil society groups has put Pangani police station in the lead in alleged extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
In a report on Tuesday, the Missing Voices Coalition said the country lost 219 lives to extrajudicial killing and enforced disappearance in 2021, attributed to police.
They claimed the station took the lead in misconduct, misuse of force, harassment and the killings.
From allegedly extorting business people to indiscriminate shooting and beating those suspected to be criminals. Frequent arrest on petty crimes and being a notorious den of impunity.
But National Police Service spokesman Bruno Shioso dismissed the report as subjective.
"The report and findings are subjective. Study didn't involve police. We aren't even privy of the methodology used," Shioso said.
He said the police have not engaged in any form of lawless killing whatsoever and whenever an officer committed an illegality, they are subject to the law.
"NPS isn't involved in any sanctioned killings whatsoever. Whenever an officer is responsible for any brutality, decisive action is taken by either police, IPOA or IAU," he said.
"NPS doesn't condone any abuse of powers. We don't also have any policy to any form of enforced disappearance."
MVC brings together major civil society groups that include Amnesty International, International Justice Mission - Kenya and a host of grassroot and slum-based social justice centres.
In its 2021 report, the lot said it documented 219 cases of police killings and enforced disappearances.
Out of these, 187 cases were of police killings and 32 were of people who disappeared at the hands of police.
Of the 32 cases of enforced disappearance, two of the victims were later found alive after campaigns by the groups, it said.
“Originally there were 36 cases of enforced disappearances; four of these were found dead more than 24 hours after disappearing in police custody, two were returned alive and 30 remain missing," the report reads.
“Pangani police station leads with the highest number of police killings in Kenya. MVC documented 30 cases of police killings that are reportedly associated with the station."
In fact, it said, for every month last year except in June, there were strings of murder incidents blamed on the officers from Pangani.
The number of the deaths and disappearances reported for last year is a rise from 2020 during which the group documented 168 such cases.
In 2019, MVC documented 145 cases of police killings.
“In this report we are launching today, the Missing Voices team spoke to survivors who lost their sons to police killings and are in the process of seeking justice in court," report reads.
"All of their cases were taken back to the inquest stage because of “lack of evidence”, despite the fact that they had witness statements, post-mortem reports and the police officers were identified."
The accused officers have allegedly continued to operate in same areas and within the affected communities and use unlawful tactics to throw or weaken the cases.
They threatened witnesses and intimidated families.
“Despite the fact that we are seeing more arrests of police officers involved in such killings, the criminal justice system is slow in dispensing justice.”
As remedy, the lobby wants Parliament to enact a law that criminalises enforced disappearances. The law should include means of compensation to the family of the victims.
They also want the state to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Further, sufficient budget should be allocated to the Witness Protection Agency to adequately protect witnesses and families of victims.
They also want the Judiciary to prioritise cases that relate to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)