Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu is now pushing for the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations, cells, and reporting desks across the country, following the rising cases of human rights violations.
According to Nyamu, this will strengthen accountability, uphold human rights, and modernise the country’s law enforcement system.
In a motion before the Senate, Nyamu notes that while Article 51 of the constitution guarantees fundamental rights for persons held in custody, numerous reports of human rights violations continue to emerge unchecked.
“There has been increasing reports of human rights violations, abuse, unexplained injuries, and deaths in custody, as well as security breaches and escapes from police cells across the country,” she stated.
She expressed concerns that despite recommendations by the Justice Maraga-led task force on police and prison reforms, including a call for modernisation of facilities and better surveillance, little action has been taken to operationalise key proposals, such as the installation of surveillance systems.
"The lack of CCTV coverage at police reporting desks and holding cells continues to compromise transparency, erode public trust and delay justice for victims of custodial abuse," the Senator stated.
The senator now wants the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to move with urgency and install functional and tamper-proof CCTV cameras in all police stations, cells, and reporting desks.
She also wants to have the systems monitored in real-time, with secure storage of footage for use in investigations and court processes.
Additionally, Nyamu wants the ministry to allocate adequate resources, technical support, and training to police officers for the effective use and maintenance of the systems, alongside continued digitisation of Occurrence Book (OB) platforms.
She argues that the proposed measures would not only deter misconduct but also enhance internal accountability and strengthen the justice system.
The move by the Senator follows the recent cases, including the mysterious death of Albert Ojwang while in custody.
A report from the government pathologist on a postmortem indicated that Ojwang died from head injuries, neck compression, and multiple soft tissue trauma.
Government pathologist Bernard Midia, who conducted the postmortem, ruled out the narrative that self-inflicted injuries caused the death, pointing to a case of being hit in the head and strangled.
Further, he had multiple injuries on his hands.
“He had head and neck injuries. There were other multiple injuries consistent with assault,” he said.
Midia insisted Ojwang did not hit himself on the wall as earlier reported in a police report.
“When we examined the pattern of the injury, especially on the trauma, I found it on the head. Hitting against a blunt substance like a wall would have a pattern,” he said.
He said that in the event of one hitting themselves on a wall, frontal bleeding on the head would be seen.
