This represents a slight decrease from 2022’s 130 killings.
The NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International Kenya, and Missing Voices, condemned the “impunity” enjoyed by police officers implicated in these deaths. They expressed concern over the lack of arrests and prosecutions for such incidents. 45 deaths (mainly during cost-of-living protests in March-July 2023).
The report also noted a decrease in enforced disappearances, dropping from 22 in 2022 to 10 in 2023. Enforced disappearances involve individuals being detained by authorities with their families having no information about their whereabouts, raising fears of potential killings.
President William Ruto, elected in 2022, has vowed to address police violence and illegal practices. He has reiterated his commitment to ending extrajudicial killings and political assassinations.
Kenyan police have faced longstanding accusations of brutality, including operating death squads targeting human rights investigators. The president disbanded the Special Services Unit (SSU) in October 2022, a unit linked to disappearances and murders.
According to Missing Voices, a Kenyan NGO tracking police violence, over 1,350 people have been killed by police since 2007. A rare conviction occurred in February 2023, with three officers sentenced for a 2016 triple murder involving torture, including that of a lawyer.
The report highlights the ongoing challenge of police brutality in Kenya. While there are signs of potential reform, human rights groups urge for stronger accountability and action to prevent future deaths.
AFP/fss/abj/APA