Two police officers have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of two people at Soko Ng’ombe in Garissa County on Saturday.
The two men were killed and a woman injured after police fired in the air to disperse a crowd protesting the arrest of a murder suspect.
In a statement on Sunday, while confirming the arrests, the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai directed the Director Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), Mohammed Amin, to immediately carry out investigations into the incident.
The IG also directed the Office of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to carry out forensic analysis on the firearms used by the officers.
“The investigations with input from Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) shall be able to establish whether the officers were justified to use their firearms or not, ” said the IG.
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The @IG_NPS has equally directed @DCI_Kenya to carry out forensic analysis on the firearms used by the officers. The investigations with input from @IPOA_KE and @ODPP_KE shall be able to establish whether the officers were justified to use their firearms or not.
— National Police Service-Kenya (@NPSOfficial_KE) July 26, 2020
While condemning the killings on Saturday, IPOA said its officers are investigating the matter.
IPOA said ones they are done with the investigations they will make recommendations.
“I appeal to area residents to maintain calm and report all claims against police officers using the toll free number 1559,” said IPOA chairperson Anne Makori.
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Garissa Township MP Aden Duale condemned the killings as “brutality of the highest level”.
“… I ask the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of the national government and the Kenya Police Service to look into this matter urgently and bring to book the trigger-happy cops,” said Duale.
Cases of police brutality have been on the rise amid the Covid-19 pandemic with some of the officers involved in fatal shootings having been interdicted.
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