Police brutality uncalled for

Police commissioner Major-General Hussein Ali should be held solely responsible for the death of four people during a referendum campaign in Kisumu over the weekend. Though he says he has no apologies to make over the mayhem, the four people did not deserve to die. More saddening is the fact that one of the victims was a hapless and innocent school- boy, who was caught in the melee on his way from school.

Whereas Ali argues that police only used live ammunition once when a group of youths attempted to raid Kondele police station, evidence on the ground suggests that police went into residential areas and learning institutions, shooting indiscriminately at anyone in sight. At the end of the day, four people were dead while 49 were left nursing gunshot wounds. Most of the victims were opposed to the proposed constitution, whose proponents had gone to Kisumu looking for support. This kind of police brutality is totally unacceptable in a country that claims to be democratic. Why did the police have to use live ammunition on the rioters when there are several alternatives? Ironically, police were warned against using live ammunition during a security meeting that preceded the ill-fated rally. Heads must therefore roll if public confidence is to be restored.

At this juncture, I would also not hesitate to apportion blame to Information and Communication minister Raphael Tuju, who decided to go ahead with the rally despite indications that his ideas were not welcome in Kisumu. He should have gauged the mood of the people, given that only a few days earlier, he had to take cover from a hostile crowd that could not even allow his helicopter to land. As a graduate of communications, the crowd’s body language was there for him to see. Either he pretended not see it or chose to see innocent children lose their lives. But their blood will haunt him forever.