Broken Trust: Nakuru youth speak out amid rising police brutality cases

Brian Silweyz still remembers the day he found himself in jail for speaking out against police brutality in Nakuru as if it happened yesterday.

Despite the incident happening two years ago, it remains fresh in his mind.

“Honestly, I can say that I don't view the police the same way ever since they locked me up for speaking out against police brutality. They are supposed to protect us, yet they were the ones ruthlessly beating me up for no reason,” he laments.

“I was lucky because I had people who could come and get me out of jail. What about those people who go through the same ordeal and don't have anyone to call?”

Brian still lives with this reality, especially given the recent events in London, where Duncan Nderitu lost his life after he was allegedly shot by the police during protests.

Given how quickly things escalate these days in confrontations between the police and members of the public, he knows that he might not be here today to tell his story; he might just be another statistic in a long line of unanswered cases.

Njai Jackson Mugo, President of the Student Governing Council of Nakuru (SGCN), also condemns police brutality, especially in the case of Duncan Nderitu.

"The incident in the London estate that left a young man dead was very unfortunate. What makes it more disturbing is that these police officers were not from Nakuru West, which raises questions," he notes.

"Duncan Nderitu is just one of the many victims who have lost their lives at the hands of rogue police officers. The sad thing is that many of the other victims before him have not received justice. Honestly, where do we turn when the 'walinzi wa usalama' go rogue? “

According to Njai, confidence in the police is currently low and it will take a long time to repair relations between the community and the police.

Echoing the sentiments of Jackson, Anne Wangari asks why such brute force is used against unarmed civilians peacefully picketing.

"We have lost so many of our young people who took to the streets to demand their rights. I am deeply disturbed by what is happening in our county, as evidenced by the cases of Duncan Nderitu, Albert, and Boniface,” she laments.

In recent years, Nakuru County has recorded numerous incidents ranging from assault and harassment of journalists to fatal shootings, all of which are connected to the police.

The shocking video of a police officer shooting an unarmed individual selling masks at point-blank range during protests in Nairobi earlier this week left many Kenyans outraged and wondering how people can peacefully protest police brutality and extrajudicial killings yet the same officers can shoot them at point-blank range.