Activists in Kisumu on Friday raised an alarm over the 'high handedness' of the Quick Response Team (QRT), a unit within the Administration Police.
Kisumu City Residents Voice (KICIREVO) Chairman Audi Ogada also said the police unit named Cobra Squad has now turned their brutality to the public contrary to the law.
Mr Ogada hailed the QRT unit when it was formed to fight crime in the city noting that the level of criminality drastically reduced.
However, he said the units due to their rivalry have forgotten their mandate of ensuring peace and order in the city.
“This unit QRT was good when it was formed. Due to rivalry between regular and administration police, Cobra Squad was formed by the regular police. Now there are no proper services to the people, instead they beat and arrest innocent individuals,” he said.
He said the two groups now seem to have forgotten their mandate of combating crime and have resorted to unorthodox responsibilities.
Ogada while addressing the press in Kisumu condemned both QRT and Cobra Squad for teargassing the public even after getting licenses to hold peaceful demonstrations.
“Artists were licensed to hold demonstration, matatu operators were equally licensed by the police. In these two instances we saw QRT tear gassing them. This is unacceptable,” he said.
He said the two units have now turned rogue and are being used to disrupt human rights like picketing.
He said they have also resorted to arresting people arbitrary especially in the estates.
Ogada said his organization would not accept police brutality and high handedness in the wake of police reforms.