Benson Njiru and Emmanuel Mutura, like most enterprising young Kenyans, started a pork business in Embu with the hope of bettering their lives and their family
On the first day of business, the brothers didn’t return home as their lives were ended in very unclear and mysterious circumstances.
Like other young men in the country, they closed their business and went to see friends knowing very well that curfew was hours away.
This tale is truly horrific, and the fact that details of what truly transpired are unclear make it even more depressing.
There are reports from witnesses that the two were arrested past curfew and ended up being beaten up by the police resulting in their deaths.
What is disturbing is that the injuries they sustained are inconsistent with the claim by the police that the two young men jumped out of a moving police vehicle in an attempt to escape.
How often do such tales happen and are swept under the rug?
It is unfortunate that this is not the first of such incidents and the trend is not only worrying but also disheartening.
No mother should be forced to bury her children in such circumstances and the anger that is ringing across the country is totally justifiable.
Police brutality in any form is unacceptable and a comprehensive investigation must be conducted to get to the genesis of this crime. The family of the deceased, as well as all Kenyans, demand justice and their death cannot be another statistic.
It’s unfortunate that witnesses are fearing for their lives and unwilling to step forward. The silence by the Witness Protection Agency is very loud. At this point, they should have stepped forward to offer protection.
Njiru and Mutura can be any other young person in Kenya today. They can be our brothers, cousins, friends or even distant family members.
What is clear is that we must all remain calm, demand justice for the brothers and give the responsible agencies an opportunity to investigate and report on what transpired, including action against all those involved.
Interior CS Fred Matiang’i has assured that the matter is being handled by the Internal Affairs Unit of the police and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority. We can only hope that the investigations will be done expeditiously and those responsible brought to book.
At the same time, we must remind the police that they are duty bound to serve and protect and brutality should not be something that can be entertained within the service. It is disheartening that Kenyans should live in fear of those who are in the police service to protect them.
The law is clear on how the police should conduct themselves and the use of excessive force is greatly discouraged. The National Police Service Act is totally clear on how and when officers can use force.
It states: “A police officer shall always attempt to use non-violent means first and force may only be employed when non-violent means are ineffective or without any promise of achieving the intended result.”
It is, therefore, unjustifiable for any officer to use force on unarmed civilians as we have seen in the past. And this case of the Kianjakoma brothers should give the police an opportunity to reflect on their operations.
While not the entire police service should be condemned, it is important that we deal with the systemic rot and disconnect between the police and the public. We cannot allow this kind of lawlessness to descend on Kenya and therefore we must nip it in the bud now.
Those responsible for police reforms must put the agenda of reconnecting the public and the police at the forefront. Officers must also be in a position to deal with the public as fellow human beings as well as citizens of this great republic.
There is an urgent need to deal with all the bad apples in the service as a matter of urgency. We must put this issue at the top of its to-do list to ensure that we no longer hear about police brutality.
