Brutality in blue: Man left by police with tissue injuries keen to get justice

Mr Joseph Kamau, 28, can barely step on the ground with his left foot.

The boda-boda rider in Korogocho slums in Nairobi is currently walking on crutches and, for three days, he has not been able to report to work.

Mr Kamau says he was assaulted by a police officer who went ahead to confiscate his motorcycle’s key on the night after Christmas.

His case adds to the growing list of reports of police brutality across the country.

An X-ray examination done on Monday shows he suffered soft tissue injuries on his left leg and a cut on his left arm, close to the elbow.

On the fateful night, Mr Kamau says he had picked a female passenger who wanted to be taken  to Lucky Summer, near Sir Henry’s club, in Kariobangi.

“I remember both of us were in a hurry because we wanted to be home by the curfew hour. However, upon reaching Ngomongo Mthenya area at around 9:56pm, hell broke loose,” he recalls.

He says he was horrified to see an officer in a crowd but relaxed when he confirmed that he still had a few minutes to the curfew hour.

Pursued

Unbeknown to him, the officer was on his trail.

“Upon spotting me, the officer lifted the water pipe he was holding, aimed it to my face and hit me. The pipe landed on my arm, which I had lifted to protect my eyes,” he said.

His passenger fell during the commotion that ensued but the officer went on hitting her with the pipe, to the dismay of onlookers.

“Shortly after, I lost control of the motorbike and it fell on my left leg, causing so much pain that I started screaming. The officer then stopped beating my passenger and came after me, picked my ignition key and left me, saying ‘Wewe piga tu nduru hapo’,” he recalled.

Mr Kamau said other officers tried in vain to intervene. They even offered to have him taken to the hospital, but the rogue officer he identified as Elijah Kagiri dissuaded them.

With the help of a friend, Mr Kamau managed to get first aid at Huruma Maternity and Nursing Home, where his wound was dressed and some painkillers prescribed, according to documents seen by the Nation.

“The following morning I reported the matter at Korogocho police post, but they declined to record it in the OB.”

Frustrated, Mr Kamau said he tried to report the matter at the Kariobangi police post, where the OCS referred him to the crimes office, but even there, he recalls that the report was recorded on a piece of paper, not the OB or a computer.

“The officers then ordered me to go home with a promise to call back, which they never did. They also advised me to have an x-ray examination done on my leg,” he added.

Uncalled for

On Tuesday, Mr Kamau’s mother went back to the station to check on the progress of the case and to see if her son’s motorcycle would be handed back to him, but the narrative had now changed.

“The officers told her that I resisted arrest and fell down, which is why they confiscated my motorcycle. They insisted I had to go collect the motorcycle myself as we settled the matter,” he said.

He now fears the officers might have realised the matter is being investigated by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), hence the change of tune.

“I am lucky that my leg wasn’t broken. However, the tissue fracture and the bruises I sustained are uncalled-for. Such brutality should not be meted out on innocent civilians. That is why I want justice served,” he said.

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