Former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga has called out sections of the National Police Service for being a threat to peace and harmony among Kenyans.
In an interview with a local radio station on Friday, Raila condemned the recent cases of police brutality and death of civilians in the hands of police.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader decried the injustices, and called for speedy implementation of police reforms to save civilians the barbarism by some officers.
Raila said its a shame that despite numerous calls for civility in the service, some officers still apply very rudimentary approaches when dealing with civilians.
"We have a police service that is operating with colonialists mentality...Their work was to target Africans and beat them," he regretted.
He said it's sad that police were meant to be the go-to people when civilians were troubled, but they have now become the source of torment to the people.
"Even if you were to get stranded or lost in town and approach an officer to give you direction, chances are that you will end up getting arrested and in a police cell being asked to give a bribe of Sh2,000 (sic)," he mentioned.
The ODM leader also mentioned that some of his friends have fallen victim to police harassment and brutality, something he greatly regretted.
"I was kept waiting for them in the boardroom only to hear my friends and associates could not show up because they were arrested on their way for flimsy reasons," he narrated.
Raila also commented on recent cases of suicide and murders among police, stating that it is impossible for them to serve Kenyans better while cases of suicide and murder are high among themselves.
Raila now advises that the National Police Service effect reforms or else the cases of civilians dying in the hands of the people who are supposed to protect them will keep rising.
