Big blow to Police as the High Court orders them not to hide their faces while dealing with protesters - They also must display job numbers

Thursday, August 15, 2024 - The National Police Service (NPS) has been dealt a major blow after the High Court directed that police officers concealing their identities, registration numbers of their vehicles, and their service numbers must not be allowed during public protests.

Making the ruling on Wednesday, High Court judge Bahati Mwamuye directed that pursuant to a petition by the Law Society of Kenya‘s CEO Florence Wairimu Muturi, the conservatory orders were issued on the Inspector General of Police against deploying unidentified officers to deal with protestors.

“A conservatory order be and is hereby issued requiring the 5th Respondent (National Police) to ensure full compliance with Paragraph 10 of the Sixth Schedule to the National Police Service Act in terms of ensuring that all uniformed Police Officers or persons acting under the direction, control, or in support of the National Police Service shall at all times affix a nametag or an identifiable service number in a clearly visible part of their uniform when engaging with, providing security for, or in any way dealing with any person(s) who is or is planning on assembling, demonstrating picketing, or petitioning; and they shall not remove or obscure the same,” Justice Mwamuye stated.

Similarly, Justice Mwamuye ordered that if plain-clothes police officers are deployed to maintain order, they must not wear any garments that obscure their faces or make them unidentifiable.

Mwamuye also indicated that the Inspector General of Police was instructed to ensure that no police officer or any other persons acting under the direction, control, or in support of the NPS takes any action to obscure the identification, registration, or markings of any motor vehicle being used when in any way dealing with persons who are planning on assembling, demonstrating, picketing or petitioning.

The Kenyan DAILY POST