‘Police need training on human rights’: Maraga recounts being teargassed during Gen Z protest anniversary

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has criticised the police over what he described as excessive and unjustified use of force during the recent Gen Z protest anniversary march, saying officers require urgent training on human rights standards.

Speaking during an exclusive interview on Citizen TV’s ‘The Explainer’ show on Tuesday, Maraga recounted being teargassed while marching in solidarity with families of victims who lost their lives during the historic 2024 Gen Z-led protests.

Citing his tenure at the helm of President William Ruto’s National Taskforce on Police Reforms, he said; “One of the recommendations we made was that the police need a lot of training on human rights affairs. They don’t seem to be aware of what they are supposed to do in such situations.”

Maraga singled out the controversial shooting of 29-year-old Boniface Kariuki, an unarmed hawker who was shot at close range by police during the recent Gen Z protests, saying the incident was both inhumane and alarming.

“To teargas or just shoot an unarmed bystander like Boniface Kariuki is shocking. It makes you wonder whether the officer is a human being. Because for the close-range shooting, he surely must have known it was going to create a serious injury if not death,” Maraga noted.

The former Chief Justice said he had joined the street march in good faith, relying on police assurances that the demonstrations would proceed peacefully.

In an unexpected turn of events, Maraga expressed disbelief at the force used despite the calm nature of the protest, asserting that the procession had barely begun before officers fired teargas canisters.

“I was on the streets in solidarity with the families of those who lost their loved ones. On the assurances which were given by police that the protests would be peaceful, as they are supposed to be, we went there in solidarity and didn’t need to be teargassed,” he noted.

“I was horrified because we were just walking to the statue on Kimathi Street — that is where the families wanted to lay flowers, and then from there, they would walk to Parliament. We didn’t even go 10 metres before we were teargassed.”

He dismissed police claims that protesters had set fire to tires or caused unrest during the march, saying; “Their claim is that there was a burning tire or a burnt [object] on the street. There was nothing of the kind, and I can tell you for sure.”

Maraga further criticised police officers for blocking families from peacefully laying flowers at the Dedan Kimathi statue in Nairobi.

“Those ladies could not even be allowed to lay their flowers; a clear demonstration that the government did not want those demonstrations despite the assurances that they had given.”

Maraga’s remarks come amid growing scrutiny of police conduct during the recent youth-led protests, with human rights groups calling for investigations into reported cases of brutality and extrajudicial killings.