The Senate has today ordered Inspector General of Police of Kenya Douglas Kanja to apologize to Kenyans over the deaths resulting from peaceful demonstrations earlier this year.
The Senate was going through a motion they had passed on July 24 this year regarding the State of the Nation which was necessitated by the pressing issues brought forward during the anti-Finance Bill nationwide protests.
Speaker Amason Kingi while reading the resolutions of that motion noted that the police had a responsibility to admit and ask for pardon from Kenyans regarding the deaths that arose from the demos.
“In the resolution the Senate resolved that the National Police Service acknowledges and apologizes for all the deaths resulting from the peaceful demonstrations.”
Various human rights organizations put the death toll from the demonstrations that began in June 2024 to over fifty people with many others nursing injuries. In addition, multiple deaths were recorded in Kware and Mukuru kwa Njenga.
Kenyan police came under huge scrutiny globally after being accused of murdering innocent civilians who were protesting in major cities and towns in Kenya. Media as well as citizen coverage of the demos showed police opening fire towards innocent citizens.
In the Kenyan Constitution, Chapter Four- The Bill of Rights, part two - fundamental rights and freedoms, Article 37 outlines that every person has the right to peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities.
The Senate pressed upon the police to come up with improved operating procedures on the management of protest, demonstration and use of force during demonstrations.
"The Senate resolves that the National Police Service submit to Parliament the revised standard operating procedures on the management of protest, demonstration and use of force to contain demonstrations." the Speaker noted.
At the height of the protests, President William Ruto vowed that action would be taken against rogue police officers after Kenyans came out in droves to protest against a rogue police officer who was accused of killing an innocent Kenyan.
"On the matter of this rogue police officer that you say is roaming, I would like to get exact details of who this is, and I assure you that we will apprehend him and deal with him according to the law," Ruto said. "Please forward the pictures and videos to me, to my spokesman Hussein Mohamed, and to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA)."
Aside from issuing an apology, the Senate also called for victims of police brutality related to peaceful protests from 2023 to 2024 to be compensated.
“That all the victims of police brutality related to peaceful protest between 2023 and 2024 be compensated by the government of the Republic of Kenya.” the Speaker noted.
The Upper House also called for the police to extend amnesty to all peaceful protestors who were unlawfully detained during the peaceful protests. By
