Police arrest a University of Nairobi student in Nairobi following protests against the detention of an opposition legislator, who is also their student leader. [PHOTO/the-star.co.ke]
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya National Human Rights Commision have strongly condemned the beating of the students at the University of Nairobi and termed it brutal.
"What happened is the worst form of cruelty. It is not even permitted under the Geneva Convention in war. It is worse than the colonial concentration camps, but this is clear proof of a police service that is hell-bent to extend the culture of brutality and impunity," said LSK chairman Isaac Okero said in a statement.
Okero said LSK will open private prosecutions on the individual officers in seven days should the Internal Affairs Unit of the police not take appropriate action.
The outcry was echoed by KNCHR vice chairman George Morara who said the commission and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority will start to pursue the case.
"It can't be business as usual. We must deal with individual officers abusing police powers," he said, adding that witnesses will be protected.