The National Police Service on Saturday, October 9, responded to claims by activist Boniface Mwangi that he had been beaten up by General Service Unit (GSU) officers.
In a statement, the service argued that the activist fell on the floor all by himself before he started kicking his legs in the air and that the police officers were just trying to restrain him.
Explaining why police officers were at the scene, the service detailed that the officers were on lawful assigned duties assisting the Nairobi County Government and Nairobi Metropolitan Services with their revenue collection obligations.
However, NPS states that some defaulters had been arrested when Mwangi, who was within the building, accosted the police and city county officers challenging them to identify themselves.
"The subject activist persisted in his identification argument despite the police officers being fully dressed in their official uniforms; also, being armed with official weapons."
"And notwithstanding that the exercise was conducted in broad daylight and in the open and with some defaulters already having been arrested by the enforcement team," reads an excerpt of the statement.
The police suspected that the activist caused a fracas for the purposes of facilitating the escape of arrested defaulters or to intimidate the officers from carrying out their lawful duties.
"The subject activist was not assaulted but instead caused an unnecessary drama by running away and falling himself on the floor only to cause a commotion that was meant to aid the escape of the arrested defaulters."
NPS accused Mwangi of staging the situation for cameras with an aim of escalating unnecessary tensions between police and the public.
"The service is committed to improving relations between the police and citizens and therefore calls upon the public to reciprocate this effort by taking police officers as true partners in their enforcement mandate and not otherwise."
Mwangi took to social media pages on Friday to state that the officers did not have proper information and documentation.
He stated that he sustained injuries on his leg and went on to call out officers over the continued brutality meted on individuals.
