UPDATE Thursday, June 11: Interior CS Fred Matiang'i confirmed that three officers had been apprehended following the circulation of a video depicting a woman being whipped and dragged on a motorbike
This came even as Olenguruone OCPD Henry Nyaranga denied that police officers were behind her attack noting that she claimed she had been attacked by citizens and the police went to her rescue.
The Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA Kenya) also joined the matter and offered legal representation to the woman in the case that caused a countrywide uproar.
UPDATE: Thursday, June 11, 11:05 AM: Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations revealed that three police officers had been arrested following the circulation of a video depicting a woman being whipped and dragged on a motorbike in Kuresoi South Sub-County.
The suspects are in lawful custody helping with further investigations into the matter
Thursday, June 11: The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has launched an investigation into an incident in which a woman was tied behind a motorcycle and dragged on the road.
IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori disclosed that the authority will seek to verify the allegations of assault, injury and any other misconduct by the officers and make recommendations.
“IPOA this (Wednesday) morning learnt of an incident in which members of the National Police Service allegedly tied a woman to a motorcycle, drove the vehicle while dragging and whipping the woman,” read a statement from IPOA.
Nakuru County police have come under fire after they were accused of treating a suspected petty thief inhumanely.
The revelation came from a video that surfaced online showing the woman, Mercy Cherono, 21, tied to a motorcycle and being dragged on a rough road sustaining serious injuries in the process.
Cherono had been accused of breaking into the house of Kuresoi South Deputy OCS David Kiprotich in the company of two other gang members.
They were accused of stealing Ksh10,000, police uniforms, a TV set and a sub-woofer.
In the video that raised eyebrows online, the suspect is heard pleading for mercy while an officer repeatedly beat her with a whip.
The woman was caught after she reportedly locked herself in the bathroom when she found herself unable to flee together with her accomplices.
She was later taken to Olenguruone Hospital in Kuresoi South after she suffered injuries on her head, chest and feet.
Her case compounds to a list of growing police brutality incidents that have rocked the country since the beginning of the dusk-to-dawn curfew sparking widespread outrage.
According to human rights reports, over seven people have reportedly died or disappeared without a trace in the hands of police since March this year.
On Tuesday, June 9, groups of Kenyans led by activists conducted peaceful protests over Mathare, Huruma and Dandora police brutality victims.
Two protesters were arrested during the protest, according to Boniface Mwangi.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority on June 6, however, assured that those police officers who break the law while enforcing curfew during the Covid-19 pandemic will be held accountable individually.
While speaking at the Kenya School of Government, IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori stated that, "Despite the challenges posed by the new security regulations meant to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, IPOA has continued to receive complaints. All our investigations will be impartial and independent and we shall address all cases of police brutality and excesses,” she stated.
