Leaders have come out to condemn the shooting of a mask vendor by a police officer within Nairobi CBD on Tuesday, June 17.
In a statement, KANU party leader Gideon Moi demanded the arrest of the officer.
He wondered why the police officer had to shoot the vendor who was only selling masks.
"The cold-blooded shooting of an unarmed mask vendor at close range by a police officer during protests in the CBD is tragic and a shocking abuse of power by police," read the statement in part.
"The role of the police is to protect citizens, including protesters exercising their constitutional rights, and not to stand by as marauding goons unleash terror on innocent people. While we condemn these actions, that police officer must be identified, arrested, and charged."
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On his part, Senior Counsel Paul Muite questioned whether the government was keen on ending police brutality, given that the Tuesday protests were occasioned by the killing of Albert Ojwang.
He opined that the ongoing killings were being used as intimidation tactics for Kenyans who have concerns about the government.
"The cold-blooded Police murder today of a young Kenyan selling masks in the CBD is evidence this regime has no regrets about Albert Ojwang's murder. Extrajudicial executions are the regime's official intimidation policy for retaining power. It will fail," he stated.
Martha Karua also echoed Muite's statement, wondering why many Kenyans had to die in the call for accountability.
"Another endless extrajudicial execution. How many deaths will it take for you to stop this?" she posed.
Notably, the officer who shot the protester was wearing a mask, and the face could not be captured.
This is even the High Court judge Bahati Mwamuye outlawed the wearing of masks by officers during protests.
"A declaration be and is hereby issued that any law officer deployed to ensure law and order in the course of an assembly, demonstration, and picketing must be uniformed and shall not in any way hide or obscure their face so as to render them unidentifiable," read the ruling in part.
The court also ruled that the police cannot hide the number plates of the vehicles they use during protests.
"A prohibition order be and is hereby issued restraining any Police officer or any other person acting underthe direction, control or in support of theNational Police Service from taking any action to obscure the identifcation, registration, or markings of any motor vehicle being used when in anyway dealing with any persons who is oris planning on assembling, demonstrating, picketing or petitioning," the judge ruled.
