Police oversight body investigating civilian deaths and misconduct in Kenya, called to probe incident at Gikomba Market and boda boda rider death in custody.
… According to a report by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), only 3 out of the 62 death cases from the Gen Z protests are in court, two years later. …
Audio By VocalizeWiper Patriotic Front leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka has accused the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) of sabotaging justice for Gen Z protest victims, saying the watchdog admitted in court to burying evidence in the killing of Rex Masai. …
… based on individual responsibility and those arrested should be informed of reasons for arrest and be presented in court within 24 hours and have access to legal counsel. “Any deaths or serious injuries must be immediately reported to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority …
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 22 – The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has revealed that only three cases arising from deaths during the 2024 Anti-Finance Bill protests have reached court, with the majority of investigations still unresolved nearly two years after the demon …
NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 22 – The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has revealed that 46 out of the 62 deaths linked to the 2024 Anti-Finance Bill and Gen Z protests remain under active investigation, with only three cases currently before the courts. …
… , 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Nearly two years after the deadly 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests that shook Kenya and galvanised the Gen Z movement, only three of the 62 deaths linked to the demonstrations have reached the courts, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority …
… The National Police Service and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority must approach the matter with seriousness and transparency.If there is even a measure of truth in the claims, decisive action must follow. …
… The decision follows the close of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority's (IPOA) case after its final witnesses testified before the court on Thursday. …
… The court was told by Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Principal Investigator Justin Nyatete that after completing investigations, he prepared a case file containing witness statements, evidence and a summary of findings before forwarding it to the Office of the Di …
Civil society organisations have raised alarm over the emergence of political gangs in Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election, citing recent violence as a sign of organised efforts to mobilise political gangs during the election period. The International Commission of Jurists-Kenya convened stakeholders to address the issue, with the ICJ Chairperson warning that observed patterns bear similarities to challenges from previous election periods.
Civil society organisations have raised alarm over the emergence of political gangs in Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election, citing recent violence as a sign of organised efforts to mobilise political gangs during the election period. The International Commission of Jurists-Kenya convened stakeholders to address the issue, with the ICJ Chairperson warning that observed patterns bear similarities to challenges from previous election periods.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has called for a shift from reactive to preventive policing ahead of the 2027 General Election, urging security agencies to strengthen intelligence-led policing, identify conflict hotspots early, and deepen community engagement to prevent political violence.
Kenyatta National Hospital has clarified that a bullet recovered during treatment of a shooting victim in Pipeline, Nairobi was retained and preserved as part of medical and evidentiary records. The bullet passed through one victim and lodged in a 16-year-old's leg, following an incident on August 3 in which another victim died after four days of treatment.
A Standard editorial argues that serving police officers allegedly involved in Dr Victoria Mutiso's killing must be exposed and prosecuted quickly, warning that police-facilitated murders undermine the state's integrity and erode public trust in law enforcement.
Kenyatta National Hospital says a bullet recovered from a 16-year-old injured in a Pipeline shooting on August 3 was preserved as medical and evidentiary records and handed to detectives. The clarification follows public concern after the projectile's whereabouts became unclear; a woman struck first by the same bullet died at KNH four days after admission.
Moreen Nduku, 44, was fatally shot by a police officer at Gikomba market on August 3; the bullet passed through her body and struck 16-year-old Abdala Lihan in the leg. The family alleges the bullet removed from the teenager has disappeared, and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority remains silent.
A 44-year-old woman, Maureen Nduku Nzwile, died at Kenyatta National Hospital after being shot during a police operation at Gikomba Market on Monday while officers responded to reports of phone snatchers. A 16-year-old was also injured in the incident, and the family has lodged a complaint with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority citing alleged irregularities including the disappearance of the bullet.
A reparations panel has approved compensation for 49 police officers for human rights violations sustained during protests between June 17 and July 7, 2025, awarding them Sh25.75 million. The payments follow IPOA's recording of 65 deaths and 342 civilian injuries during the same period.
Communication strategist Odhiambo Otieno has criticised the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) for remaining silent following the death of 19-year-old boda boda rider Eric Otieno shortly after his release from Muthaiga Police Station. He warned that IPOA's silence on the matter encourages impunity within the police service and questioned why CCTV footage from the station had not been made public.
Eric Otieno, a boda boda operator, died after being arrested and detained at Muthaiga Police Station; an autopsy found he died from multiple abdominal injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. His family is demanding the arrest of officers allegedly involved and has called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to investigate what they describe as police brutality.
Rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the death of Eric Otieno, a boda boda rider who died shortly after his release from Muthaiga Police Station. A postmortem found he died from massive internal haemorrhage caused by injuries to his organs.
Eric Otieno, a Mathare boda boda rider, died at Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital after allegedly sustaining severe injuries while in police custody at Muthaiga Police Station. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has now assumed full responsibility for investigating the circumstances of his death, with the National Police Service pledging full cooperation.
Five years after the deaths of Benson Njiru Ndwiga and Emmanuel Mutura Ndwiga—known as the Kianjokoma brothers—their family has renewed calls for justice in the High Court trial of six police officers accused of killing them, citing emotional and financial strain and noting that only nine of 25 prosecution witnesses have testified since the trial began in 2022. The brothers died on August 1, 2021, after being arrested by police enforcing a COVID-19 curfew in Embu County.
Five days after businessman Jimmy Mwanzia Mutava disappeared, his family says they remain in the dark about his whereabouts as fresh CCTV footage raises questions about events leading to his alleged abduction, with a senior Mlolongo Police Station officer emerging as a person of interest.
Macharia Njeru, the inaugural Chairperson of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, alleged that William Ruto made direct threats to him during Ruto's time as Deputy President, warning of political fallout if IPOA did not comply with executive demands. Njeru's allegations add to recent accusations by former National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof. Njuguna Ndung'u that President Ruto has systematically interfered with public institutions.
An opinion piece examines whether Kenya's independent commissions operate genuinely independently or under presidency influence, citing the NCIC's response to Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale's remarks as a case that raised public concerns about institutional independence and consistency.
A Nairobi court has allowed the National Police Service to call six additional witnesses and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to present two more witnesses in the inquest into Rex Masai's death during anti-government protests, with expected testimony from representatives of institutions including IC3, Absa Bank, Makau Casino, Bliss Hospital and International Life House.
Activists have filed a High Court petition challenging the exclusion of victims of enforced disappearance from the government's compensation programme for human rights violations victims. The High Court certified the petition as urgent, with a hearing scheduled before Justice Gregory Mutai.
Kenya's draft Freedom of Assembly Bill, collaboratively developed by the KNCHR, Attorney General, and other stakeholders, offers an opportunity to address the country's cycle of protest-related violence, in which at least 1,800 people have been killed or injured since 2017. The opinion piece discusses what the bill gets right, where it diverges from previous attempts, and what must be strengthened.
The Kibera High Court has adjourned the murder trial of six people charged in Albert Ojwang's death in police custody until December 14, 2026, after prosecutors presented CCTV footage from Mbagathi Hospital showing police officers transporting Ojwang from Central Police Station on June 9, 2025, and later departing with his body.
President William Ruto has nominated legal scholar Dr. Duncan Ojwang Oburu to serve as Chairperson of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), Kenya's police oversight body responsible for investigating complaints of police misconduct and promoting accountability.
The Police Reforms Working Group Kenya is calling on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to identify and arrest goons who were captured intimidating voters during the Ol-Kalou by-election in Nyandarua County. The group alleges that armed, masked militia and plainclothes officers invaded polling centres, fired ammunition, deployed tear gas, and assaulted journalists and human rights observers.
Forensic analysis of CCTV footage from Central Police Station presented at a murder trial shows the deceased entered the station alive and responsive but was later removed while unresponsive, according to testimony from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority Head of Forensics.
President William Ruto has nominated Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Dr. Duncan Ojwang Oburu to chair the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, succeeding former chair Justice Ahmed Issack Hassan. The nominations, announced through Notification of Presidential Action No. XI of 2026, also include appointments to the Teachers Service Commission, Public Service Commission, and Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee, pending parliamentary approval.
Charles Owino, a former police spokesman, has been appointed Government Spokesperson as part of President Ruto's presidential nominations and redeployments within the Executive. Former Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura was reassigned to head the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Disability Rights.