Mothers Storm Nairobi Streets in Protest Against Police Brutality [PHOTOS]

Mothers lead demonstrations against police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
Mothers lead demonstrations against police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
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Mothers of police brutality victims led a huge protest in Mathare Constituency, Nairobi on Monday, June 8 as they demanded justice for victims of extra-judicial killings and police brutality.

The mothers stood at the front-line of the protest, carrying placards with their children's names as they slammed the police for its alleged excesses.

With many of the protesters being Mathare residents, they also demanded justice for Vaite, a homeless man allegedly gunned down by police during curfew hours on Monday, June 1.

Demonstrators protest police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
Demonstrators protest police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
Twitter

Some of those who addressed protesters during the demonstration urged relevant authorities to ensure adequate punishment was meted out on officers implicated in various incidents.

They questioned why Mathare was regarded as one of the hot-spots for extra-judicial killings and police brutality, calling for an end to police violence.

They further called for a radical overhaul of the police service, particularly, officers serving the area whom they accused of undertaking the killings.

Residents accused officers in the Bondeni area of shooting Vaite, but Police Spokesperson Charles Owino had claimed in an interview with NTV's Ken Mijungu on Tuesday, June 2 that the police were convinced Vaite was killed by a five-man gang.

"The case of Vaite, the one which people are shouting in Mathare. We have very clear witnesses who told us that this guy was followed by about 5 persons on motorbikes.

"You know, whether you are homeless or you have a home, a criminal who meets you does not know. Remember this is Dandora Bridge, you can follow up to find out how many lives we have lost at Dandora Bridge," he stated on Tuesday, June 2.

Some of the placards seen in Mathare carried messages including 'Justice for Vaite', 'Stop Killing Our Children' and 'Youth Lives Matter', mirroring the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and protests in the United States over the death of George Floyd.

The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) had confirmed the dire situation when they revealed statistics on complaints about the police since enforcement of the dusk to dawn curfew began on March 27.

In a statement on Wednesday, June 3, IPOA revealed that they were investigating 15 deaths linked to police during the curfew.

They further disclosed that 87 complaints of police violence had been lodged in the same period, among them allegations of robbery, shootings and sexual assault.

Demonstrators protest police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
Demonstrators protest police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
Twitter
Demonstrators protest police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
Demonstrators protest police brutality in Mathare, Nairobi on June 8, 2020
Twitter

 

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