The National Police Service (NPS) has confirmed the arrest of 153 people during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mahmoud expressed appreciation to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), the National Intelligence Service, National Youth Service, Nairobi City County, and the Minister of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, who he said were helpful in maintaining peace and stability during the summit.
“During the course of the operation and securing the international event, we arrested about 153 persons for various offenses, including misconduct, obstruction of police officers in execution of their duties, unlawful assembly, and failure to notify the police,” he said.
In addition, the Nairobi Police Commander revealed that the police recovered a pistol with 10 9mm rounds in the Kayole area of Nairobi. The pistol was recovered in an operation targeting motorcycles in the city during the duration of the Africa Forward Summit.
According to Mahmoud, the operation aimed to maintain security and order during the Summit that brought together leaders and delegations from over 30 countries.
“Passing on to Article 29, Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, as domesticated under the Privileges and Immunities Act, Cap 179, Laws of Kenya, the National Police Service is mandated to ensure the protection of diplomats, heads of state, and official missions within our jurisdiction. And that’s what we did in compliance with international obligations,” the Commander stated.
He, however, confirmed that during the making of the arrests, there were no incidents that were recorded throughout the summit.
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Police Arrests and Items Recovered
Upon further investigations, the police also recovered 70 mobile phones from the suspects and three motorcycles, which were believed to be proceeds of robbery by the Kayole police team.
Additionally, the police noted that from the 70 mobile phones recovered, 30 have already been identified by the owners as the team continues the investigations.
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KICC Operations
The update on Wednesday came a day after the police blocked a group of activists from accessing the venue during the summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC).
According to the witnesses present, the activists, including foreign nationals, were forcibly bundled into police vehicles during the operation.
Following the activist’s presence at the KICC, the security agencies tightened security, sealing off some routes and deploying more police to maintain peace and stability around the convention center.
In his address, Commander Issa Mahmoud said that he had appealed to the members of the public to comply with traffic guidelines and maintain respect before and during the Summit.
However, according to the police, some individuals failed to obey sirens and directions issued earlier by the traffic officers, leading to the documented arrests.
