Court hearings into several serious police killings have exposed a worrying pattern of corruption and cover-ups.
Evidence shows that some police officers are going to great lengths to protect each other from being punished for crimes. From hiding video footage to changing official records, the goal seems to be keeping the truth from coming out.
Two cases stand out. The first is the death of 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody. The police said he had taken his own life at the Central Police Station, but that explanation began to fall apart when deeper investigations started.
It was discovered that someone had secretly tampered with the station’s surveillance system. That person turned out to be the technician who had originally installed the CCTV cameras.
He later agreed to testify and became a key witness in the case.
As a result, former Officer Commanding Station Samson Taalam, along with two junior officers, James Mukhwana and Peter Kimani, were charged in connection with the death.
Another suspect is John Ngige Gitau, a deserter from the General Service Unit, who is also facing trial alongside civilians Ginn Ammitou and Brian Mwaniki.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority found that police records had been changed. Ojwang was listed as being “sick” when brought in, but the documents were later altered to say he was “healthy,” raising even more questions.
The second case involves the killing of Rex Masai, a protester shot dead on June 20, 2024. During the inquest, former OCS Tiberious Ekisa said that the police CCTV system wasn’t working that day, making it harder to trace what really happened. Another officer, Martin Githinji, could not explain clear mistakes in the arms movement logbook.
The register showed conflicting service numbers, and one officer’s name had been removed and replaced with a different one—Sammy Waweru. Investigators believe this may have been done to hide who actually fired the shot.
These findings have angered many Kenyans. Civil rights groups are demanding that the police service stop protecting rogue officers. The public wants justice for those who have died and a system where officers are held accountable.
Many now believe that until the police clean up their own ranks and punish wrongdoers, the public will continue to lose trust in law enforcement. The government is under pressure to act quickly before more lives are lost to such deadly abuse of power.
