Kenyan police officers have been killing people, and the Kenyan government and legal system has shown very little interest in holding anyone accountable for the slaughter, according to a report by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston following his investigations in February. Police in Kenya frequently execute individuals, and a climate of impunity prevails. Senior police officials organise police death squads to eliminate suspected members of criminal organisations.
There are no effective internal or external investigation or oversight mechanisms; the police serve as judge, jury and executioners. A commission of inquiry following last year’s post-election violence documented the circumstances of 1,113 killings and made recommendations to address the causes of the violence and provide accountability, but those recommendations have not been implemented. Those responsible for the post-election violence have not been prosecuted.
Witnesses to violence and human rights defenders who have testified about the violence have been threatened and abused. Some have been assassinated, presumably by the police. The report concludes that, while relatively straightforward steps could be taken to improve the situation, the Kenyan government’s current policy of denying the existence of problems or insisting that they are under control will soon lead to chaos and large-scale violence. The Kenyan government has prepared a response dismissing Professor Alston’s report.