Human rights organizations are calling for further action following the transfer of senior police officers involved in the violent dispersal of anti-femicide protesters on December 10.
In a joint statement, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Amnesty International, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and the Independent Medico-Legal Unit acknowledged the transfers but demanded more substantial reforms.
On December 16, 2024, Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, announced the transfer of Nairobi Central Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Doris Mugambi and Nairobi Central Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Stephen Okal. Mugambi was moved to Vigilance House, while Okal was transferred to Mulot. Stephen Okal, formerly the Buru Buru Deputy OCPD, was appointed as the new Nairobi Central OCPD, and CI Talaam became the new Central OCS.
Also Read: Central OCPD, OCS Transferred Over Handling of Anti-femicide Protests in Nairobi
While the transfer is seen as a step toward accountability, the human rights groups argue that it does not address the deeper, systemic issues that allow such abuses to happen. The transfer took place a day after Amnesty International Kenya’s Executive Director Irungu Houghton and four others were released unconditionally after spending six days in custody.
The groups emphasized that transferring officers is not enough.
They are calling for urgent reforms to prevent future violations, urging the Inspector General to overhaul police operations and ensure peaceful engagement with protesters.
“Transferring officers is not enough; meaningful reforms are urgently needed to prevent such violations. We call on the Police Inspector General to overhaul police operations and prioritize peaceful engagement with protestors,” the statement read.
The lobby groups also called for the National Police Service (NPS) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to ensure criminal charges are brought against all officers who used unlawful and excessive force during the protests. They warned that transfers without consequences only encourage impunity.
The organizations are urging the Inspector General to lead a comprehensive review of police operations during public assemblies and to prioritize training programs focused on peaceful engagement, de-escalation tactics, and respect for constitutional rights.
Additionally, they called for IPOA and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) to conduct an independent review of the incident and publish its findings. They also want disciplinary actions to extend beyond lower-ranking officers to include command-level accountability.
“Changing the culture of policing in Kenya is imperative to avoid the kind of violence and injury witnessed last Tuesday,” the groups said. They are pushing for reforms that reflect Kenya’s constitutional guarantees and international obligations, with a commitment to human rights.
The organizations expressed their readiness to engage with the National Police Service and the Ministry of Interior to craft practical reforms that uphold the constitutional rights of all Kenyans, emphasizing that the right to peaceful assembly must be respected, protected, and facilitated, not violently suppressed.
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