Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja is under pressure to take action following allegations that police officers opened fire and killed civilians during a violent land dispute in Tinderet, Nandi County on Monday, September 29.
The accident, which has killed at least two individuals and injured many more, has elicited anger from residents and local leaders alike.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has cried foul, asking for the officers involved to be immediately taken into account, transferred and charged in court.
It is with a heart full of sorrow that I have just heard of mafia-style killings by police reckless officers of three people and dozens injured in an unwarranted way,” the senator said in a Monday night statement. Although police have only acknowledged two deaths, Cherargei insists that three people were killed.
The attack took place in the Kimwani area, where more than 600 people the majority of whom are youth and reportedly armed with crude weapons stormed a contested piece of land in what seems to be a bid to evict them. The group claims the land was taken from them illegally many decades ago.
Police responded to the scene, and during the course of intervention, several people were shot. One was instantly killed, while another succumbed to injuries in hospital. The third death, the senator said, has not been officially confirmed by police.
Senator Cherargei said he had written to IG Kanja and IPOA, demanding that the officers be held personally responsible.
“I have instructed the IPOA to arrest and prosecute the run-away police officers who committed the killings today,” he said, likening the atrocities to the infamous Angata Baragoi where police were similarly accused of excessive use of force.
The senator also blamed Nandi Governor Stephen Sang for failing to end the long-standing Kimwani land dispute, which he says was to blame for the clashes. He further stated that he is working with the National Land Commission to accelerate verification of lawful land ownership.
Meanwhile, Nandi County Police Commander Thomas Ototo warned the local youth against allowing themselves to be used by political actors to settle historical land disputes through violence.
“Everyone needs to own land in this country, and we will not condone land grabbing,” Ototo stated. “I would like to call upon our youth not to be used.”
While questions soar, the light now falls on IG Kanja with locals and leaders demanding something more than words. For the Kimwani widows’ families, justice has been a long overdue encounter.