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Probe disappearances

The families of some of the young anti-government protesters, including university students, who have been missing for several weeks, are going through immense pain and agony. Some would prefer the grim closure of identifying the dead bodies of their loved ones.

Several families have been going to mortuaries in Nairobi and its environs, hoping to identify their loved ones, but have after looking at the bodies, some in a horrible state, walked out with uncertainty hanging over their heads. The harrowing waiting continues to haunt others, unaware of how it will end. As some of them had informed their families that they had been arrested and were in police custody, having their bodies pop up in various places is intriguing. The post-mortem examination of the body of one of them, who was a university student, revealed that he had died of strangulation. His alleged police abductors had reportedly demanded a Sh3,000 bribe to free him.

The City Mortuary in Nairobi has 51 unclaimed bodies believed to have been brought in on June 25, which marked bitter protests during which Parliament was invaded and some sections set on fire. Several of the bodies have bullet wounds, indicating that they were most likely shot dead by police during the protests. Some of the bodies with bullet wounds were recorded as unidentified road accident victims. The disappearances of some protesters seem to have intensified following the breach of Parliament during which snipers from rooftops killed a few.

Police have been accused of brutal repression of the protesters, with some officers reportedly shooting victims from point-blank range. However, not a single rogue police officer has been arrested and arraigned.

The Constitution guarantees the right of Kenyans to picket and stage peaceful demonstrations to air their grievances. Police officers suspected of violating this cardinal right must be quickly brought to book. This will serve as a deterrent against criminal impunity.