A photo showing police officers stripping a man and later clobbering him went viral on July 12 as a section of Kenyans online claimed that it had happened during the latest Anti-Finance Bill protests.
In the photos shared on social media platforms, the man was seen laying on the ground helplessly with a contingent of police officers looking on as a colleague assaulted him. The photo then sparked outrage among Kenyans who associated it with recent cases of police brutality against protesters.
However, a spot check by The Kenya Times has established that the photo was more than seven years old and was posted on Facebook by Boniface Mwangi.
A reverse search of the image led to old posts by activist Boniface Mwangi calling out police for using excessive power and politicians.
In one of the post dated April 24, 2017, Mwangi posted the photo showing the police dog attacking the man to liken leaders he called “tribal” to dogs.
“Our tribal leaders, however, are like dogs. They have no loyalty, especially when they are hungry for power,” the post by Activist Boniface Mwangi read.
On March 20, 2020, the same photo was posted by Boni on X expressing his sadness about the Kenya Police, noting that they have always been violent instead of involving dialogue in their actions.
Further, he mentioned that the behavior seemed to be part of their training.
“Kenya Police have always been brutal. Most police officers use violence instead of reason in any given situation, it’s how they’re trained,” Boniface Mwangi commented in 2020.
Kenyans Reactions of the Photo
Kenyans online had questioned how such horrific events could have taken place in the streets of Nairobi, especially during these difficult times, considering the tragic incidents that have claimed lives.
“I have witnessed and photographed police officers unleash dogs on citizens to amuse themselves,” an X user commented.
Mwalimu Eric, another X user, shared his worries suggesting that if Kenyans no longer feel as angry, they should look at the photo to see the reality of the situation.
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In addition, another user on X mentioned that the photo was taken by Boniface Mwangi and shared in 2020. He pointed out that the photo is not related to the current events.
“The photo was taken by Boniface Mwangi, and he posted it in 2020. It doesn’t have anything to do with what’s happening currently,” Kenya West noted.
Demands to IPOA on police brutality
On June 29, the Intenational Commision of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya, had given an ultimatum to the Independent Police Authority (IPOA) to investigate alleged police brutality witnessed during the recent nationwide protests.
ICJ had issued its demands while revealing the number of deaths and injuries that had resulted from police brutality during the demonstrations.
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The Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG-K) also demanded prompt action from IPOA to investigate the listed instances of police violations in detail, noting that, up to that point, it had documented 23 deaths, 34 enforced disappearances/abductions, and 271 injuries.
Further, the group maintained that civilian attacks from Kenya’s security agencies were against international human rights standard.
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