Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has lifted a lid on how a section of healthcare workers was being subject to hardships.
Speaking during a presser on Monday, April 27, KMPDU Deputy Secretary-General Chibanzi Mwachonda noted that some medical personnel had been teargassed and sprayed with acid while heading to their work stations.
Getting specific, he noted that the medics had been sprayed with the acid at Bluepost Roadblock on the morning of Monday.
The healthcare workers were heading to their workstations during curfew hours when the incident happened.
"We have witnessed a very unique and embarrassing situation coming from our police in enforcing the orders of containment and curfew.
"The police have continued to brutalise healthcare workers who have valid documents from regulatory bodies," stated Mwachonda.
"As we speak, there are healthcare workers who have been teargassed and sprayed with acid this morning at the Bluepost Roadblock as they were heading to their work stations," he added.
During the address, the medical practitioner appealed to the Interior Ministry led by CS Fred Matiang'i to ensure that healthcare workers are allowed to pass through the roadblocks swiftly.
"We want to tell the police that Covid-19 pandemic is a virus and it cannot be fought with bullets and teargas
"You need to respect the duties of other professionals. This is a war against an invisible enemy which is a virus," he added.
Cases of police brutality have been on the rise in the name of enforcing the curfew with data showing that up to six lives have been lost since the dusk-to-dawn curfew was instituted.
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report pointed out that police were using excessive force while some were breaking into homes and shops and extorting money from residents among other misdemeanours.
“It is shocking that people are losing their lives and livelihoods while supposedly being protected from infection.
“Police brutality isn’t just unlawful; it is also counterproductive in fighting the spread of the coronavirus,” senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch stated.
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