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Roundup: Kenyan protesters burn police camp over killing of lawyer

Xinhua, July 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Enraged Kenyan protesters on Wednesday torched an Administration Police camp where lawyer Willie Kimani and two others were held before their murder last week.

The protests organized by the Law Society of Kenya began peacefully at Mavoko Law Courts -- about 30 km east of the capital Nairobi -- where Kimani attended a session before he and his client as well as their taxi driver went missing.

Kimani's client, who was a motorcycle taxi rider, allegedly complained about harassment from an Administration Police officer before he was killed.

The trio was allegedly briefly detained inside a container in a police compound before being killed. On June 30, their bodies, which reportedly showed signs of torture, were found in a river to the northeast of Nairobi.

The protesters, including lawyers and motorcycle taxi riders, marched to the camp located on Mombasa Road, causing a traffic snarl-up that lasted about two hours. The motorcycle taxi operators directed traffic on the highway during the demonstration.

The group turned rowdy upon arriving at the police camp and then stormed in. They then set the camp on fire after removing valuables.

Some protesters later assisted police in putting out the fire, preventing it from spreading to a residential building for police officers.

Inspector General of Police, Joseph Boinnet, has condemned the arson attack on the police camp and ordered immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

Before the incident, Kimani and his client attended a court session at the Mavoko Law Courts in Machakos County in a lawsuit where the client Josephat Mwenda sued an Administration Police officer for shooting him without any provocation in April 2015.

Kimani, 31, was working with an NGO, International Justice Mission. Mwenda had reportedly been receiving intimidation and threats in the run-up to the hearing.

Four police suspects have been arraigned in court over the murder.

More than 5,000 Kenyan lawyers began a five-day boycott of court proceedings on Monday in protest over the killing of their colleague.

The legal fraternity has also held peaceful countrywide demonstrations to press for speedy prosecution of suspects involved in the murder of the trio.

Meanwhile, the UN human rights chief has called on the Kenyan government to treat alleged cases of extrajudicial killing by police with urgency and address the concerns that have threatened the confidence Kenyans have in the police force.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colville, condemned the killing of the lawyer and two others, and said cases of extrajudicial killings should not be treated casually.

"It is imperative to throw full light on what happened and to establish all responsibilities related to these atrocious murders. We also call upon the Kenyan authorities to strengthen efforts towards accountability," said Colville.

He said the authorities should also take urgent measures to prevent extrajudicial executions and police brutality and other serious violations. Endit