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{
    "id": 1121128,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1121128/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 264,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13219,
        "legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
        "slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
    },
    "content": "In total, the accounts that we received from this organisation point to a police force that has gone rogue, does not adhere to the rule law and has violated human rights of Kenyans. As I have stated, a number of these victims are young persons who are in productive bracket in our country. This is the price we are paying as a country in the hands of the police. This Committee is making a strong case that the police going forward should be held personally reliable for the acts they commit that violate constitutional rights of Kenyans. Looking at the footprints of impunity, a number of suits have been filed against the Government of Kenya arising from the acts committed in the hands of the Kenyan police. In total, there are about 126 suits that have been filed by torture victims, some going back to the Kenya African National Union (KANU) days. This is what should be of concern to the House. In total, our courts of law have awarded a whooping Kshs372,524,686 as compensation for these victims. This is money that is going to be paid from the coffers of our taxes. This Committee recommends that going forward, the police officers should be held personally responsible for these violations. Any compensation awarded should be paid personally by the police officers. Finally, on the engagement we had with the public bodies, we also had a hearing with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). We were informed by the Office of the DPP that he has so far received a total of 175 files, most dealing with police excesses. Of which, 85 cases have been processed, filed in court and ongoing. The good news is that so far, he has secured six convictions against police officers who have been involved in police excesses. In addition, there are 38 files that were forwarded to the DPP between 22nd of April, 2020 and 29th May, 2021. The DPP has given consent to prosecutions on 15 cases. These cases are pending to be presented before our courts of law for processing. We also had an engagement with the Office of the Attorney General. The only thing I want to pick from this engagement is that he is proposing the establishment of a strong multiagency taskforce, so that there can be better synergy, collaboration and cooperation between the various agencies that hold law enforcement officers accountable. This will form part of the recommendations that are in this report. Madam Deputy Speaker, if you permit me, I now want to give to the House an account of the recommendations that this Committee has made. We have divided this into three. The first recommendation will deal with legislative proposals, the second on policy and the third is administrative. To ensure the work of this Committee is not in vain, we have identified the actors responsible for implementation of the recommendation that the Committee is making. We have also given timelines within which the particular actor should act. Finally, we have identified the body that should oversight the full implementation of the recommendations of the Senate. On the legislative proposals, we have recommended that the Office of the Attorney General should initiate the process of ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances in accordance with Section 7"
}