Mudavadi says police brutality, use of excessive force do not happen in Kenya

Responding to an assertion by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Mudavadi said police brutality and use of excessive force do not arise in Kenya.

The Prime CS affirmed that citizens freely report any allegations of police impunity to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).

IPOA was established through an Act of Parliament published in November 2011, under the transformative 2010 Constitution to provide for civilian oversight over the work of the police in Kenya.

“This body investigates such impunity if any and hold individual police officers accountable, including through prosecution,” said Mudavadi, who is attending the 44th ordinary session of African Union’s Executive Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He added that Kenya will formally submit an appropriate language to be annexed to the human rights report to address this specific issue.

Mudavadi appreciated the work of the commission in protecting human rights in Africa and highlighted Kenya’s alignment to this mandate, including through its commitment to end statelessness and commuting death sentences to life imprisonment.