This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
On November 11, 2019, a viral video captured the brutalisation of a Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student by four police officers. The student, Alan Odhiambo, credits the video for saving his life.
Speaking to NTV, Odhiambo recounted the events leading up to the assault. He had stopped at a shop when the officers cornered him and began beating him without asking any questions.
"They cornered me and without even asking questions they started beating me," Odhiambo said.
According to Odhiambo, the video only shows a portion of the abuse he suffered. He claimed that the officers continued to beat him after bundling him into a Land Cruiser, leaving him numb.
Two classmates who recorded the video shared it on social media, which Odhiambo believes saved his life. The officers, seeing the video, stopped beating him.
Odhiambo spent four hours in the police vehicle as the officers drove around, still beating him. They took turns in beating him and threatened him, accusing him of belonging to the outlawed Mungiki group due to his dreadlocks.
He was eventually taken to Juja Police Station, where he recorded a statement about his ordeal.
Following the viral video, the Inspector General of the National Police Service, Hillary Mutyambai, and Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i vowed action against the officers for using excessive force on the JKUAT students.
The three identified officers, George Wathania, Jonathan Kibet, and Boniface Muthama, have been interdicted. The fourth officer remains unidentified.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched an investigation into the alleged assault.
