KAIKAI'S KICKER: IG Kanja and the full force of low

On my Kicker tonight, I offer my congratulations to the newly sworn-in Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja.

Without a doubt, Inspector General Kanja has much to contend with, starting with the strong stench of contempt left in his office by his acting predecessor, convicted Deputy IG Gilbert Masengeli. It will take a lot of moral air fresheners to clear that.

Secondly, we have once again heard talk of police reforms, with the latest round projected to cost upwards of Ksh.100 billion. In the spirit of austerity, and recognizing that we don’t have that kind of money in Kenya these days, I suggest that the new police boss start small. In fact, let’s begin with something that doesn’t cost a shilling.

The video of a student being beaten in Multimedia University Mr. Inspector General, is a stain on the uniform you wear today. It is a mindless insult to the coat of arms and a needless abuse of police power. That student, Trevor Mathenge, was not resisting arrest. He was not armed. He had submitted to the police without resistance. So, not even the often-abused phrase "use of reasonable force" applies here. There was absolutely no need for force, let alone the brutish, primitive, and altogether barbaric behaviour displayed by those police officers.

I don’t know how this would be factored into police reforms, but start by identifying those policemen. The one who calmly removed a tear gas canister and dropped it on the lone student. And the other who kicked the boy to position him better for the explosive moment. Find out who these men are. Check their backgrounds. What else do they do when they’re not in uniform? Because I am persuaded that they are not good police officers, and do not deserve the honour of wearing our flag.

This kind of behaviour is rampant, as witnessed during the June protests when police officers acted with the zeal of political partisans. Some appeared more like civil war militias - killing randomly and abducting at will. So, IG Kanja, your hands are full. It can be argued that the police service you are stepping into has changed drastically from the one you oversaw just months ago as acting IG. I saw that you started by denying the Kitengela three - let’s see how that unfolds.