Apologise for 'hired bodies' remarks - Kisumu leaders to IG Koome

Leaders from Kisumu County have demanded an apology from the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome following his recent remarks on police brutality.

The leaders express shock terming the sentiments careless and insensitive.

Led by Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o and Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron, they said the IG must recant his statement in totality.

"We join the rest of Kenyans and our leader Raila Odinga in condemning Koome who instead of apologising to the nation over the disappointing unprofessionalism in the police service, is dancing on the graves of the victims killed by his officers during demonstrations against the high cost of living," Nyong’o said.

Speaking on Tuesday in Nyeri, Koome claimed that politicians hired bodies from the mortuary and alleged that they were of people killed during the protests.

"It is so unfortunate that some senior members of the society go to the mortuary hiring dead bodies, calling the media and telling them that these people were killed by the police. How low can some of our leaders sink?' Koome posed.

The governor noted that Koome's sentiments on national television that his officers did not kill people during the protests are shocking.

Nyong’o said it is on record that Kisumu County bore the brunt of alleged police brutality.

He said Koome and the Kenya Kwanza government must stop mocking the families of those allegedly killed during the protests.

Nyong'o noted that the IG must stop politicising grave security issues like the murder of innocent people, which borders on genocide and ethnic cleansing.

He said two credible non-state actors- The Law Society of Kenya and Amnesty International have conducted a survey and confirmed that police killed 24 people during the anti-government protests in Kisumu and Kisii counties.

Sixteen of these deaths occurred in Kisumu.

"Many innocent people were pulled from their houses and killed in cold blood. In Kisumu county alone, 107 people assaulted by police officers were treated at different hospitals across the county. Many of them are still in hospital with bullet wounds."

Nyong’o further invited Koome to visit the Jaramogi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Mortuary to see for himself and confirm if indeed those who participated in the anti-government protests are hired bodies.

" One of these patients is a schoolchild shot nine times by Koome’s boys. We invite Koome to visit JOOTRH and study the post-mortem reports of those killed during the demonstrations. They had either bullet holes or blunt object (Rungu)trauma," he said.

 "We say No to Police brutality because Luo Lives Matter."

Oron noted that they visited those injured by the police and even those who died of police bullets at JOOTRH.

"The whole world saw that, it's quite unfortunate that a holder of an independent office like the IG would mislead the country that leaders hired dead bodies to paint the police in bad picture."

He noted that families are still grieving, the majority of those killed are yet to bury their relatives.