An exposé by New York-based Media House, Vice News, has lifted the lid on a hit squad suspected to be behind the multiple disappearances and killings in various parts of the country.
In the documentary, journalist Julia Steers, was seeking to unravel the mysterious disappearances and the discovery of over 26 bodies in River Yala early this year. Majority of the retrieved bodies depicted signs of torture.
In her investigations, Steers sought to understand who was behind the killings, why and what the overall objectives were. She discovered that a specialised hit squad was tasked with the responsibility of carrying out the executions.
A member of the hit squad, who spoke to Vice News on condition of anonymity, told the journalist that their tasks are just like any other job and has deliverables that must be met.
"If someone wants to commit a crime, he should seriously consider the consequences. It serves as a warning. It could end their life. They should be afraid of doing something wrong."
"In my case, I'm perfectly fine. I don't have to be sympathetic when conducting interrogations, it must be done the way it should. No criminal sympathizes with their victims hence I can't sympathise with them either. I am very comfortable doing my work," the hit squad member noted.
He pointed out that the majority of Kenyans were not aware of the covert squad, but the few who did know, labeled them as killers. He added that their tasks are carried out of necessity.
"I'm a human being, hence I can't say I'm 100 per cent sure that's why I have to do a little bit of interrogation. It is not often that you have to kill somebody, but people who commit wrongs, beat the system and end up back to the community, and keep breaking the law, there is no other remedy, we simply eliminate you," he acknowledged.
The source reiterated that the community should aid the squad in capturing the wanted criminals who have been terrorising Kenyans for years.
"Hopefully, the community understands when a wanted person is placed over the walls, everywhere in every police station. Kindly avail him. When it happens that this person is found dead, nobody will question."
Police spokesperson, Bruno Shioso, however, dismissed the existence of a hit squad, stating that such groups do not exist in Kenya.
"I'm not aware of any units either in the police or multi-agency. They don't exist," he affirmed.
He added that the police service takes action on officers who go off the book and take matters into their own hands.
"All I can say and confirm is that there are cases where police officers engage in malpractices. That one I want to accept. When it happens, we take action against our own officers," he noted.
The journalist also visited the families who had lost their kin in the River Yala tragedy. The aggrieved families urged the government to step up and take the issue at hand seriously. They, however, expressed optimism that the cases will be investigated to their logical conclusions.
The actions have also been condemned by politicians who have called on the government to take action.
"Young men disappearing without a trace only to be found in rivers yet there are laws in this country, you can take someone to jail and they reform. No one has a right to take someone's life," Kipkelion West MP, Hilary Kosgei, stated during a recent burial.
