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
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