Monday, January 27, 2025 - A section of reformed youth in Mathare, Nairobi, has decried police harassment that led to the injuries of several eco-warriors in the area during a police operation.
The young people took to the
streets protesting the police assault, stressing that they were unfairly
targeted while inside their houses despite having left the life of crime and
joined the ecological justice network.
In their complaints, they also
named Nyumba Kumi leaders as being part of the officials who
harassed them while looking for a murder suspect who killed a man walking his
three-year-old son to school on Monday.
"At around 2 am to 3 am, we
heard banging on the door and we asked who it was. Their voices sounded like
village elders but we refused to open the door. They broke the door and barged
in asking us to produce the weapons," one of the victims narrated.
"They did not handcuff us
and take us to the police station. They just beat us and left us
there telling us to go back to sleep. I woke up this morning to go to the
hospital and the doctor asked me to obtain a P3 form. Even my brother was
beaten."
The youth added that they
understood the urgency of apprehending the suspect and only wanted the right
parameters to be used during the operation.
They pointed out the lack of
arrest of any of them despite being treated as suspects almost every time such
an operation was carried out in the area.
The reformed youth are
reportedly involved in lawful activities that not only benefit them but also
the environment as well. They include eco-friendly efforts like tree planting
and vegetable farming along riparian lands.
A Community Policing Member of
the Nyumba Kumi initiative defended the youth but stated that the
urgent nature of the investigation called for the officials to be stricter in
their operation.
The Kenyan DAILY POST.
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