KENYA: UN team meets poll chaos victims

The UN team investigating extra-judicial killings met victims of police brutality during post-election violence in Eldoret.


The victims held a closed-door meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur
on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston.

Mr Alston met more than 30 victims at the Eldoret Catholic Diocese.
They included some of the 60 victims who have given notice to sue the
State for compensation over alleged police brutality.

Ms Peris Chepchumba, 25, said she told the UN team how she was allegedly shot by a police officer on board a moving truck.

"I was among spectators watching demonstrations when a truck load of
policemen passed by and shot at us indiscriminately," she said.

She added that as they started fleeing, a bullet hit her right leg
which got infected and had to be amputated. Most of the victims who met
Alston bore physical evidence of the injuries they sustained. Centre
Against Torture Programme Officer David Koros presented cases reported
to it against police brutality to the team.

"We have more than 200 cases of people who were either killed or suffered physical injuries," he said.

Journalists barred

Journalists were barred from taking pictures of those who gave evidence.

He left Eldoret for Western Province where they spoke to 40 people in
Bungoma as it launched investigation into Mt Elgon killings.

Western Kenya Human Rights Watch and Mwatikho National Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture hosted Alston.

Mt Elgon DC Farah Kassim protested that residents had to travel to Bungoma town to present grievances to the team," he said.

The DC said the team would pay a courtesy call at his office in
Kapsokwony today , where he is expected to make a presentation on the
activities of Sabaot Lands Defence Force.

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