Anti-riot officers lob teargas at protestors on Monday, March 20, 2023.
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Chemical Warfare and Medical experts on Friday, April 7, raised concerns, stating that Kenya was in violation of an International Treaty over the use of banned weapons.
Experts warn that National Police Service, led by Inspector General Japhet Koome, could have committed serious violations by using tear gas against demonstrators.
The experts referenced the 1925 Geneva Protocol that categorised tear gas as a chemical warfare agent that must not be used on civilians and soldiers.
"A significant amount of tear gas inhalation will have both short-term and long-term effects on the nose, eyes and the lungs," Respiratory specialist Dr Andrew Oduor noted.
Police officers lob teargas on Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga's convoy in Kawangware, Nairobi on Monday, March 27, 2023.
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Security expert George Musamali added that the platoon commander was supposed to take responsibility for using tear gas.
"It was the commander's responsibility to ensure that tear was used in a measured way that does not affect everyone, including the little children" Musamali stated.
As a result, the United Nations banned using tear gas shortly after World War I, which claimed 20 million lives and saw 21 million wounded.
The protocol, which Kenya is a signatory to, was signed at a conference held in Geneva and took effect on February 8, 1928, according to the United Nations.
Teargas contains chlorobenzylidene malononitrile, a chemical that causes eye, nose and throat irritation.
"Tear gas is a serious danger to those with pre-existing conditions such as an asthma and other pulmonary diseases," Dr Oduor explained.
In the recent demonstrations, police officers used tear gas which was alleged to have caused the death of a baby in Kibera slum.
According to the baby's parents, the newborn developed breathing difficulties after police lobbed teargas into the house.
The baby's mother, Joyce Kemunto, told Journalists that police lobbed a barrage of teargas in the neighbourhood that filled their small house.
"The baby started excreting form in his nose, and it became clear that my baby was in immense danger but there were running battles that prevented me from immediately taking him to the hospital," Kemunto recounted.
Kemuto's baby died shortly after inhaling the toxic gas, with parents claiming that the police were solely to blame.
Police officers lob teargas at Azimio leader Raila Odinga's motorcade outside Serena Hotel, Nairobi on Monday, March 20, 2023.
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