Amnesty International asks Kenyan police not use unnecessary force

By Samuel Ssebuliba:

Amnesty International is asking Kenyan police not use unnecessary force in their handling of any election-related protests, amid fear and uncertainty in the country after the opposition rejected the initial publicly announced results.

Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East Africa says claims of election database hacking have raised suspicion and already pushed opposition supporters in some areas onto the streets with atleast three deaths reported.

Wanyeki says the police should not use force or firearms to break up peaceful protests as any excessive or disproportionate use of force would violate Kenyan and international law.

He says force should only be used as a last resort, and even then only the bare minimum to prevent loss of life.

Written by David Kugonza