Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Kenya’s National Police Service (NPS) is locked in a standoff with the judiciary after the country’s police chief was sentenced to six months in prison. It comes as pressure mounts on President William Ruto to hold police accountable for alleged extrajudicial killings during anti-government protests in June and July.
The judiciary has accused the police of retaliating by withdrawing the security of the judge who last week delivered the ruling on acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli for contempt of court. Kenya’s top judge, Chief Justice Martha Koome, said the withdrawal “sends a chilling message to the judiciary and the public at large.”
With the police chief yet to be arrested or turn himself in, civil society groups and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) have vowed to pursue further legal action to ensure he complies with the ruling.
The police force said security officers were moved as part of a routine training program, promising in a statement on Tuesday that the judge’s security would be restored.
Masengeli was found guilty of contempt of court last week for failing to appear in court for a case concerning the alleged abduction of three activists during recent protests about tax hikes in which at least 60 people were killed.
Relatives of the activists want the police to answer questions over their disappearance. The police chief, criticizing the ruling, said he was represented by another senior officer.
— Martin K.N Siele in Nairobi
