Interior CS Kindiki rubbishes claims of police using excessive force against protesters

Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki has now come out to refute claims made by the opposition political faction that police officers have been using excessive force against its supporters during the anti-government protests.

CS Kindiki termed the allegations, including extrajudicial killings, as mere falsehoods only meant to divert the attention of the public from the actual masterminds of such heinous acts.

The CS blamed the opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition for planning the protests that turned deadly, seemingly intimating that any blood that was spilled in the process falls squarely on their hands.

“Claims that National Police Service (NPS) officers and other law enforcement personnel are engaged in extrajudicial executions and/or excessive use of force against the public or any section thereof are malicious, false and intended to distort public opinion regarding the recent orgy of violence that took place in some parts of the country,” stated Kindiki.

“The architects of this false and distorted narrative bear the greatest responsibility for planning, financing and executing heinous crimes resulting in death and injury of civilians and law enforcement officers and massive destruction of private and public property during the past few weeks.”

The Interior chief went ahead to state that relevant agencies are presently in possession of crucial evidence gathered during the protests that he said will likely lead to the arrest and prosecution of individuals behind the funding and planning of chaos during the demos.

He added that such evidence includes crude weapons and drugs that were allegedly seized from these said individuals during last week’s protests that were meant to fuel destruction in various parts of the country.

“Investigative and Intelligence agencies are analyzing solid evidence in their possession, which evidence is adequate to prosecute the key planners, executers and financiers of large-scale arson, violent robberies and destruction of infrastructure, as well as death and injury of civilians and security personnel,” noted the CS.

“Furthermore, it has been established that licensed and unlicensed civilian firearms supplied by the masterminds of the recent violence were used to kill or injure civilians and security personnel, and the blame shifted to security officers.”

He added: “In the coming days, weeks and months, the masterminds of widespread violence against the people of Kenya, including those associated with the huge consignments of money and weapons which were intercepted on their way to harm the public have a date with accountability.”

The Interior chief also said violence has in the recent past been propagated by youthful goons masquerading as peaceful protesters, adding that they will be brought to account despite what he termed as antics of politicization and ethnicization of the issue.