Police kill dozen during Kenya protests: rights groups

Kenyan police have been involved in the killing of 12 people, including two children, during violent opposition demonstrations in March according to two rights groups.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International on Wednesday said they documented 12 deaths during three days of anti-government protests called by veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga over a cost-of-living crisis and last year's election.

They said in a joint statement they had "corroborated 12 killings in interviews with family members and witnesses," denouncing a lack of accountability.

"While some of the victims were involved in the protest, most of the 12... were bystanders, passersby, or people in their homes and business premises."

Two children, including a four-month-old baby, also died from health complications after police fired tear gas into residential homes in Kibera, a densely packed slum in Nairobi, the NGOs added.

According to government figures, three people died during the March unrest, including a policeman.

'Complete and utter impunity'

Extra-judicial killings are rife in Kenya and justice is rare with few examples of police being held to account.

Kenya's police force is often accused by rights groups of using excessive force and carrying out unlawful killings, especially in poor neighbourhoods.

Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi, HRW researcher Nyagoah Tut Pur denounced the "complete and utter impunity" enjoyed by the Kenyan security forces.

Meanwhile Irungu Houghton, Amnesty's executive director in Kenya, called for "zero tolerance" towards police officers guilty of abuse and violence.

Kenya's parliament established the International Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) in 2011 to provide civilian scrutiny of a powerful institution also reputed to be among the country's most corrupt.

Only a handful of officers have been convicted as a result of IPOA investigations, even though the watchdog has examined more than 6,000 cases of alleged police misconduct, according to data covering the period from its inception to June 2020.

Activists largely defend the IPOA's record, saying police often frustrate inquiries by refusing to cooperate.

According to Missing Voices, a campaign group focused on extrajudicial killings in Kenya, there have been at least 1,264 deaths at the hands of police since it began collecting data in 2017.