'I have no reason to take responsibility,' DP Kindiki says on killing of protestors

Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki has denied responsibility for the deaths of approximately 60 Kenyan protestors who lost their lives during the anti-government demonstrations that began in mid-July, a period when he served as the Cabinet Secretary of Interior and National Administration.

Speaking on Thursday during a live broadcast with various members of the media at his Karen Office, Citizen TV's Mashirima Kapombe pressed Kindiki to explain why the deaths of the protestors occurred under his watch, especially considering that the Ministry of Interior is closely involved with security agencies, including the National Police Service (NPS), which has been implicated in the killings.

"Kenyans feel that you oversaw massive brutality on citizens who were expressing themselves when they felt that the leaders were not representing them in the way that they should. Do you take personal responsibility... for the murder of 60 people according to the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNHCR)," Kapombe posed.

In response, DP Kindiki outlined that the NPS is protected by the mandate of the Inspector General of Police, then Acting IG Gilbert Masengeli, seemingly implying that the boys in blue operate independently as an autonomous unit.

"I have no reason to take responsibility for anything because the space of violence and encounter with law enforcement is a space that is defined by the law and the role of the Minister of Interior is defined in the Constitution in article 245 on what that role is and that role includes providing policy guidance to the organs of internal security," said the DP.

"The role of police operations are protected through the mandate of independent command of the Inspector General of Police and therefore police operations especially in engaging protestors or people who are seen as breaching the peace is the province for the independent command of the Inspector General of the NPS."

Further, Kindiki vouched for his performance during his stint as Interior Minister, highlighting that during the two years, he held the office, he played a part in ensuring that Kenya's security organs performed their work, stressing that he would willingly step in if the organs demanded policy guidance from his end.

"So you have no say whatsoever when they go wrong....as a Professor of Law?" Kapombe posed again.

DP Kindiki however doubled down on his initial statement noting that the police are allowed by law to use any means necessary, including legal force in exceptional circumstances,  to maintain the peace. 

"Should any officer violate the strict parameters of those circumstances they are accountable under the law and we said repeatedly, not only in the context of protests but also in the context of the fight against terror, banditry that any police officer who uses violence lawfully within the constitution , including legal force, has legal protection," he said.

"Any of them who exceed the parameters of the constitution is on their own and the organs of accountability is not the Interior Minister , it is the agencies such as the IPOA, DPP and the rest."

He added that any open cases regarding the protestors killings are being investigated by the aforementioned agencies, noting that he cannot comment on them in his past or current capacity. 

"It would be preemptive of me to say who shot down unarmed protestors," said DP Kindiki.