210 cases of extrajudicial killings have been documented in the last 15 months, says the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
According to IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori, some of these cases detail executions in broad daylight, people dying in police custody and forced disappearances.
Additionally, Makori in a brief to the Senate Justice Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee indicated that so far only investigations into 110 of the cases had been finalized.
The Senate legal affairs committee was led by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei alongside five human rights groups.
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Out of the 110 cases, Makori indicated that 75 are before the courts, 34 pending before the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (ODPP) and 20 files are yet to be submitted.
Within the same period of 15 months, six convictions have been reported with three being sentenced to death.
According to the IPOA Chairperson, among the major hindrances in doing their work include the blatant failure by police to report killings as required by law as well as failure by the National Police Service (NPS) to implement its recommendations.
Additionally, the shortage of investigators has hampered the delivery of work by the authority.
Following increased cases of extrajudicial killings and deaths, the authority, Amnesty International, Social Justice Centers and Independent Medical Legal Unit (IMLU) formulated the committee to probe the cases.
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According to the IPOA report, the majority of the extrajudicial killings and cases are on the rise in the informal settlements and slums especially among people aged 14-30 years.
Social Justice Coordinator, Wilfred Olal indicated that rogue police officers operating in impunity arrest and torture civilians before executing them in inhumane ways.
“They are threatening communities. Families whose kin are killed are asked to pay for bullets that killed the. It is sad,” Olal is quoted.
IMLU Director Peter Kiama indicated that the documented cases of killings and forced disappearances between 2015 and 2019 have reached close to 1000.
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