Overzealous police officers, acting at the behest of politicians, on Sunday arrested hordes of Nyeri youths under the guise of maintaining law and order.
The crackdown was meant to thwart an end-of-year gathering organised by former Mungiki boss Maina Njenga.
As usual, police branded the meeting illegal and unlicensed, a tried and tested method that provides the backdrop to their repressive actions.
The police are independent and should act only on hard evidence gleaned from independent investigations.
The unwarranted Nyeri arrests are yet another clear demonstration that the police have chosen to take instructions from politicians who more often than not have an axe to grind with the parties whose meetings they use the police to stop.
The arrests send an even more ominous sign that citizens, although on paper we are supposed to be equal, will continue to be treated depending on the whims of insecure politicians.
Only days earlier, in Nairobi, a bunch of sponsored placard-waving demonstrators made the case in support of the controversial housing levy.
They even got police escort for their march.
The Nyeri arrests sully the reputation of the service and make a mockery of the police motto of equal service to all.
Quote of the Day: “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
Isaac Asimov
The Russian scientist and sci-fi writer was born on January 2, 1920
