Nairobi residents have expressed concerns over the behavior of prison warders deployed to patrol the city streets. The warders have been accused of harassing citizens on flimsy grounds, such as failure to produce national IDs or carrying laptops without purchase receipts.
Activist Boniface Mwangi recently fell victim to the alleged harassment. He was stopped in the CBD along with his friend, Marc Hoeferlin, and asked to produce their IDs. Mwangi recounted the incident to Nairobi News, stating that he cooperated with the warders but first asked them to identify themselves.
According to Mwangi, the warders claimed that their uniforms and guns were sufficient identification. However, Mwangi insisted that they should formally introduce themselves, citing that anyone could pose as an officer. The warders allegedly demanded a bribe, which Mwangi and his friend refused to pay, resulting in their detention at the Central Police station.
Later, Mwangi and his friend encountered another group protesting the arrest of their friend, Robert Cheruiyot, who was detained for wearing a combat jacket. Cheruiyot was allegedly asked to pay a bribe to retrieve his jacket. With Mwangi's intervention, the jacket was returned without any charges filed.
The Central Deputy OCPD, Kiprotich Beren, explained that individuals who fail to produce their IDs are taken to the station, where they can produce the documents or have someone bring them. Those who cannot prove citizenship may face charges.
Mwangi criticized the police, stating that the demand for identification is reminiscent of colonial-era rules and restricts citizens' freedom of movement. He noted that the slow issuance of IDs in the country would disproportionately affect those without documents, effectively denying them access to the CBD.
In December 2014, hundreds of prison warders were deployed to conduct joint patrols with regular police officers in Nairobi, aiming to enhance security. Nairobi's deputy police boss, Moses Ombati, confirmed the deployment at the time.
