In a report dubbed 2021 Country Reports on Human Right Practices in Kenya, the US Embassy listed police brutality, forced disappearances, and mistreatment of workers as some of the most serious crimes in the country.
The most significant cases covered in the report released on Tuesday, April 12, include arbitrary killings, forced disappearances, torture, life-threatening prison conditions, arbitrary arrests, and interference with privacy.
The report, compiled in the 2021 Financial Year, further listed restrictions on free speech, violence against journalists, and serious government corruption as part of the crimes that need to be addressed.
The US further exposed lack of investigations and accountability for gender-based violence cases.
“Impunity at all levels of government continued to be a serious problem. The governmental Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), established to provide civilian oversight of police, investigated numerous cases of misconduct,” the report read in part.
“The government took limited and uneven steps to address cases of alleged unlawful killings by security force members, although the Independent Policing Oversight Authority continued to refer cases of police misconduct to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for prosecution. Impunity in cases of alleged corruption was also common.”
The report noted substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including harassment of nongovernmental organizations and activists as part of the crimes.
The US Embassy, in the report, noted that efforts by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga to unite the country through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) failed after it was defeated in court.
“Kenyatta and Odinga publicly reconciled in March 2018 and pledged to work together towards national unity. In May 2018, the president established the Building Bridges to Unity Advisory Taskforce as part of this pledge.
“In August the Court of Appeal ruled the Bill and overall initiative were unconstitutional, in part because the court found the President lacks authority to initiate a popular initiative to amend the constitution.”
Other issues covered in the report include rights of workers and non-citizens living in the country.
The report was released just hours after US Embassy issued an alert to its citizens living in Kenya. The Embassy issued precautionary measures for US citizens during this heightened political season.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM