A scathing report today from the man tasked by the UN to investigate extra-judicial killings by the Kenyan police.
“Kenyan police are a law unto themselves and they kill often and with impunity,” said Philip Alston, the UN rapporteur.
How refreshing to find a UN official who talks straight. I hate to indulge in national stereotypes, but maybe the fact that he’s Australian has something to do with it.
“There is zero internal accountability – the police who kill are the very same police who investigate police killings,” he said, adding that the Police Commissioner and the Attorney-General should be sacked.
Will it happen? Probably not. President Mwai Kibaki – today entertaining the visiting Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – seems to be impervious to criticism.
Mr Alston also cited killings and torture carried out by Kenyan police and military in the Mt Elgon area last year. The Channel 4 News report of time provoked the British military to suspend its anti-terror training for the Kenyan armed forces, as one of the units trained by the British was implicated.