CS Kindiki: Nothing irregular about plainclothes officers at anti-tax protests

According to CS Kindiki, who spoke to Citizen TV's News Night, there was nothing unusual about plainclothes officers at the protests. 

He argued that uniforms do not necessarily make police officers, dismissing concerns that gun-toting criminals could pose as uniformed police officers and shoot at the crowd. 

"A police officer does not become a police officer because he is in uniform, a police officer becomes a police officer because he is a police officer," CS Kindiki said. 

"We had police officers in uniform and others without and there is nothing irregular about that."

According to CS Kindiki, crowd control is distinct from other types of policing activities and necessitates different tactics due to the nature of the engagement. 

"Crowd control policing is different from other kinds of policing activities, including crime prevention," he added. 

Crowd policing techniques are different because of the nature of the engagement."

According to CS Kindiki, who spoke to Citizen TV's News Night, there was nothing unusual about plainclothes officers at the protests.

Prof Kithure Kindiki: A police officer does not become a police officer if he is wearing uniform, he is a police officer because he is a police officer. Crowd control policing techniques are very different because of the nature of the engagement. We had police in uniform and… pic.twitter.com/SU8uRQP3ri— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 4, 2024

CS Kindiki stated that the events of the last few weeks demonstrate the high levels of organised crime as well as the high levels of opportunistic people taking advantage of protests. 

Kenyans were outraged last week when a plainclothes police officer was caught on video shooting at the public from close range in Nairobi's Central Business District.

The video shows the officer, dressed in a black cap, blue shirt and grey trousers, firing his gun at a crowd that was standing calmly while he and his colleagues loaded arrested protesters into their van.

The shocking video, which was originally posted on TikTok and then shared across all other online platforms, shows police officers using brute force during the anti-Finance Bill protests.

There were numerous other incidents in which police officers were seen without uniforms, either engaging protesters or arresting them.