The National Police Service (NPS) Spokesperson, Muchiri Nyaga, has cautioned police officers across the country against the reckless use of firearms during protests.
Speaking in a morning show on Radio Citizen on Monday, June 23, Muchiri stressed that heavy legal repercussions will follow officers who will be caught using the firearms in unnecessary circumstances, especially during the upcoming protests, which have been slated for Wednesday, June 25.
Muchiri, who admitted that the shooting of the mask hawker, Boniface Kariuki, during last week's protests was uncalled for, said that the two police officers involved in the incident will face the full force of the law, and it will serve as a lesson to others.
"The police have been educated on how to use a gun and also the laws that they should follow when using the weapons, and some of the things that we have been experiencing are not in line with what is in the law," Muchiri said.
"Personally, when I was at my home and I saw the way that officer used the gun to shoot the hawker, I asked myself what was really happening. We have taken the two officers to court, and this will be a lesson to others who might use the gun in the wrong way," he added.
According to the spokesman, police are guided by a strict set of laws on when, where, and how they should use a firearm.
In Kenya, police officers are only authorised to use firearms in situations involving threats to life or serious injury, or to prevent escape during a felony, according to The National Police Service Act (Kenya), Section 61(2).
According to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a police officer is prohibited from using a firearm when dispersing an assembly.
"A police officer may use a firearm only when all other means have proven inadequate and only to save or protect the life of the officer or other persons and in self-defense or in defense of another person against imminent threat of life or serious injury," IPOA says.
Kariuki was shot in the head during protests on Tuesday, June 17, along Mondlane Street in Nairobi, an incident that triggered a wave of uproar among Kenyans, especially on social media.
Kariuki is recuperating at the Kenyatta National Hospital, with reports indicating that he was shot using a rubber bullet, causing damage to the upper part of his body, in particular the head.
The two police officers involved in the harassment and shooting of the vendor were identified as Masinde Baraza and Duncan Kiprono from Kileleshwa Police Station.
According to the Kenyatta National Hospital, in a statement on Wednesday, June 18, apart from Kariuki, a total of 16 patients were received at the hospital with gunshot and blunt force injuries.
