By Sarah Nyakio
One week to the commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, half of Kenyans do not believe that the law is applied equally. This is according to a report released on December 2, 2018, on the state of human rights in Kenya.
This comes at a time when scores of youth have immaturely lost their lives in Mathare, Majengo, Kayole, and Dandora. These deaths are claimed to have been executed by police officers. Death in the hands of police officers has become a common occurrence. In many instances, the officers have claimed that the victims, most of them in their teens, were criminals who were unwilling to surrender but relatives have a different story. Bena Buluma shares a similar story, she lost her two sons– Victor and Bernard on August 9, last year. They were killed in cold blood by police officers as they were returning home from work
“I now have two orphans that I have to take care of. My children were killed in cold blood,” she said in a past interview. Such killings violate our constitutional right to life.
Unlawful killings are one of the major risks to life, the report highlights. According to IMLU statistics, 822 people died from police bullets between 2013 and June 2018. Of these, 58 alone happened between January and June this year.
“Kenyans feel that the police reforms are yet to be fully implemented, they (Kenyans) are worried about extra-judicial executions, a common argument is that the unlawful killings we have seen in Mombasa and Nairobi have the blessing of the community,” said Amnesty International Kenya, Executive Director, Irungu Houghton.
When it comes to human rights violators, the Kenyan police was ranked at 33%. In such cases, the provisions of Article 238 of the Constitution which require security agencies to operate with the rule of law and protect the human rights of the citizens are continuously violated. One out of three people saw or heard about unlawful killings by the police in the last six months.
Dandora Community Justice Center coordinator Wilfred Olal said that there is a need to have a candid national conversation on extrajudicial killings.
Olal also asked the judiciary to establish an independent judicial commission of inquiry to conduct thorough investigations into allegations of extrajudicial killings, suspected criminals and law enforcement agencies.
Despite the rise in human rights violations, half of Kenyans say they have stood up for their right, additionally, one in three stood up for others’ rights. This is a clear indication that the citizenry is aware of the existence of the respect for human rights.
The 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights offers Governments, people and all non-state actors across the world and in Kenya the opportunity to reflect on the state of human rights.
ICJ Kenya Executive Director, Samwel Mohochi said that it is everyone’s mandate to protect and uphold the constitution.
We all can and should stand up against human rights violations. #StandUp4HumanRigts
