The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) commissioner John Waiganjo has said that they are moving to court to seek a warrant of arrest of police commanders.
The commissioner has explained that the commanders are frustrating investigations and have refused to share necessary information to enable action on rogue police officers.
Additionally, he has called out Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei and the Acting Inspector General Douglas Kanja, saying that they have to be accountable for their actions.
According to Waiganjo, IPOA has no choice but to escalate the matter to the judiciary adding that the oversight body is in a helpless situation.
“For the murders that we are investigating, we submitted our files to the ODPP. We have never seen the level of lack of corporation that we are seeing now from the senior police commanders because we have sometimes to go back to them to get documentations that we cannot move without.
“We have found a very hostile environment, when our officers approach them, they are not given any information. We are now escalating the matter and going to the judiciary to issue warrants of arrests of the senior commanders so that they can come and give us information,” he said.
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IPOA Addresses Action Against Masked Police Officers
On the concern about police officers wearing masks and removing their name tags, commissioner Waiganjo said that it was outrightly against the law.
Further, he said that the National Police Service (NPS) could have sent a specific unit to the streets, that is killing protestors.
“The police are clearly breaking the law because it is clear that the officers, even those in uniform are not displaying their name tags and service numbers.
“Secondly, those in civilian clothing are also putting on hoodies and you cannot tell who they are. So, we as an authority are suspecting that there is a specific unit that is being sent out there. Apart from the ordinary deployment to go and commit atrocities,” added Waiganjo.
Consequently, he has called out the Acting police Inspector General Douglas Kanja for failing to take action against the officers.
“That is why we are calling out the Nairobi Commander, Adamson Bungei, the acting Inspector General of police. And if we do not get this information, we are going to court to petition the warrant of arrests.
“They carry the biggest responsibility because if we do not know where these armed men are coming from then it is sabotage against IPOA. We have to escalate this matter to the judiciary.
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Advice to Families with Missing Persons
The commissioner had advised families missing their loved ones following the nationwide protests to make the matter public.
According to him, it is difficult to follow up on a case, when the oversight body does not have such information because the police are not sharing it.
“Those whose abductions did not get to the public; we are yet to know where they are because some of them are not in lawful custody. It is tough.
“The authority can only do as much because our mandate is restricted. We also do not work on our own, once we carry out investigations, other agents take over and proceed with those investigations,” he added.
Also, he lamented that other public institutions including the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), refused to give their officers the necessary access to conduct their investigations.
“It is not just lack of corporation from the senior command of the National Police Service, it is also from other government institutions.
“We have been visiting health institutions like Kenyatta National Hospital, also trying to get medical records of those involved in demonstrations and those with injuries related to gunshot wounds. The institutions are not giving us the access that we require,” he explained.
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