Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Joseph Nkaissery came out yesterday to defend members of the police service against accusations of extra-judicial killings.

Nkaissery, who was responding to a report on violations of human rights published by a section of the local media early this week, said the report was fallacious and out to “glorify dangerous criminal behavior.

“The allegations are clearly unsubstantiated and are made in bad faith to undermine the effort made by the police and other security agencies in managing preventing crime in this country,” Nkaissery said adding that there is no policy whatsoever within the National Police Service to engage in extra-judicial killings.

“Kenya is a country that is governed by law and the police are no exception, “he said.

According to the report by The Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) 64 Kenyans died in police custody between January and April 2016. 53 of them were allegedly executed while the rest (11) died in unclear circumstances.

IMLU Executive Director Peter Kiama said that extrajudicial killings in the country have become a trend that has been going on for the last five years.

Nkisssery went ahead to say that there is a conspiracy by known persons to out to undermine the national police service.

“The government is aware that there is a conspiracy by known elements determined to undermine the excellent work of the national police service and national security,” he said.

Is IPOA wrong on police brutality as well?

The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has also been on record decrying the rising number of police brutality and a high number of complainants received from wananchi, which continues to slow down the body’s work.

According to IPOA, since it was established it has so far received a total of 5,041 complaints.

Data obtained from shows that the number of complaints against officers rose from 594 in 2012/13 to 860 in 2013/14 financial year before spiking to 1,792 in 2014/15. The figure as at April this year stood at 1,825 complaints, with Nairobi County making up for the highest number, at 37.46 per cent.

Out of the 860 complaints received in the year 2013/14 50 cases were of deaths caused by police action, 176 on harassment by police and 60 on serious injuries sustained by people in the hands of police.

IPOA  chairman, Macharia Njeru has also cited on numerous occasions how top officials in the security docket including the IG himself, continue to interfere with IPOA’s investigations.

“Lack of cooperation right from the leadership of the National Police Service has been a challenge and it makes our work more difficult because it delays our investigations,” said IPOA chairman, Mr. Macharia Njeru.

The magnitude of Kenya’s police brutality was brought to the fore following the brutal murders of lawyer Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda (bodaboda operator) and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri in July this year. http://www.kenyaforum.net/2016/07/04/court-orders-14-days-detention-for-officers-arrested-over-lawyer-willie-kimani-murder-as-kenyans-protest-rise-of-extrajudicial-killings/

Well, numbers don’t lie CS Nkaissery, spare us the cheap PR and get your house in order.