President William Ruto on Thursday condemned actions by law enforcement agencies that infringe the Constitutional rights of Kenyans.
Responding to ongoing concerns regarding police conduct and especially reports of extrajudicial killings and disappearances in the wake of anti-government protests in June this year, the head of state reiterated that there is no room for unlawful actions in Kenya even as he emphasized his administration’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting the rights of all citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.
“I must make it very clear that there is no attempt to justify or excuse illegal arrests: such would be serious threats to the life and liberty of citizens. I condemn any excessive or extrajudicial action which puts the life and liberty of any person at risk, including disappearances and threats to life,” he said during his State of the Nation address in Parliament.
President Ruto announced that investigations into reported abuses will be carried out and promised that those found guilty would face appropriate consequences.
“I urge all Kenyans with information about such cases to forward the information to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and to IPOA, where they suspect members of the police service to be implicated,” he said
“I am aware that many of the cases that have been raised are being handled by the Independent Police Oversight Authority, an important step in accountability and justice,” the President added.
While there have been numerous allegations regarding disappearances of people during protests, the President indicated that many of these cases have been resolved, while others have been uncovered as false reports, which he said undermines efforts to identify genuine cases of missing persons.
He noted that a significant number of alleged disappearances have also turned out to be arrests made by police officers, and in such cases, the suspects have been arraigned in court.
