This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
Police Under Siege Amid Rising Public Anger ¶
Kenya's police force is facing a growing crisis as public anger against them intensifies, with several incidents of violence and harassment reported across the country.
On May 13, 2020, a junior police officer, Constable Felix Yego, was lynched by an irate mob in Homa Bay County, while his colleague managed to escape. The officer was attacked and killed in Kalwal village, where he had accompanied a man who was trying to retrieve his wife from another man.
According to County Police Commander Esther Seroney, the two suspects arrested in connection with the killing are believed to have played a major role in the murder of the officer. Security officers are pursuing other suspects who have gone into hiding.
Separately, in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County, a female police officer was stoned by angry residents on May 13, 2020, after they accused her and her colleagues of colluding with and protecting selected bar owners who continued to operate despite the ban imposed by the Health ministry and the curfew.
Residents turned against the officers, who had arrived at one of the notorious bars to arrest the merrymakers after a protest by residents. The officers used teargas to disperse the crowd, prompting the angry residents to retaliate by stoning the officers.
"The bar is among those that operate even at night despite the ban by both the county and national governments. This is where the police officers also visit to drink," shouted an angry resident.
Similar incidents have been reported in other parts of the country, including Bomet, where three police officers and a civilian were injured after being beaten by residents who accused them of harassment and extortion. In Kakamega, an MCA teamed up with local youths and arrested two police officers who were said to have been harassing locals and collecting bribes from chang'aa brewers.
