The High Court has made it explicitly clear.
No police officer has the right to shoot and kill anyone for any reason other than in situations in which their lives are in danger.
That means Kenyan police officers — notorious for reckless use of firearms under the guise of protecting property — will have no protection in law.
Trigger-happy officers have a long and painful history of shooting protesters, mainly university students, in the process of breaking students demos.
On Monday, December 9, Machakos University student Brilliant Anusu was shot by the police and died two days later in hospital.
Anusu was one of the hundreds of students demonstrating against insecurity around their college after a student was attacked and later died at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority, which has shockingly been criticized by none other than the new Inspector General of Police, Japheth Koome, must probe the case and bring the officer responsible for the death to book.
You can hardly mention a university demo in the past 20 years in which the police followed procedure or exercised reasonable judgement.
Over time, the impunity they have enjoyed has erroneously given them the impression they are above the law.
The High Court decision must create the realisation that hiding behind the defence of following orders will only help to send culprits to jail.
