The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has dismissed allegations of pardoning police officers from the ongoing investigations into alleged abductions.
IPOA Chairperson Issack Hassan on Thursday assured Kenyans of its commitment to investigating all the abduction cases reported in the country in recent weeks.
Hassan noted that the Authority had launched investigations into 17 incidents of alleged abductions with the probes involving circumstances witnessed during the occurrences.
In its report, IPOA alleged that the abductions occurred in broad daylight with the abductors not bothered whether they were captured on CCTV or the possibility of police intervention.
Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson Isaack Hassan during a past media briefing.
IEBC
According to the Authority, out of the 17 victims, three people were reportedly tortured with lengthy detention and experienced personal threats and injuries.
The victims were also reportedly detained in a deplorable state and given transport upon release and warned not to discuss their detention or face further consequences.
While reporting the matter, IPOA revealed it faced several challenges including witness intimidation, non-cooperation, and police officers clad in civilian attire.
“Besides the aforesaid trends and patterns report, investigations into these abductions remain a top priority of IPOA and are progressing through various stages,” the Authority assured.
IPOA disclosed that during the process of investigations, 9 victims out of the 17 resurfaced within a day after their alleged abductions and expressed a lack of interest in following up on their matters with the Authority.
The update comes against the backdrop of a report suggesting that the Authority lacked the moral authority to investigate cases involving the abduction of Kenyans.
Issak Hassan on Wednesday, January 29, stated that the primary goal for IPOA was to oversight police conduct and that since the National Police Service (NPS) denied involvement in the abductions, they would not be able to launch any further investigations.
Further, Hassan revealed that the low number of staff in the authority hindered comprehensive investigations into such issues but assured Kenyans of ongoing probes.
“IPOA is an Act of government and we investigate misconduct by police officers. So wherein you have got people with hoods and cars with fake number plates who are abducting people, and do not take them to a police station but to a different place, I think these are issues that even the police must investigate, “Issack Hassan stated.
“We want an investigating staff of 600, but we have only 77, so you can see the challenge. The ones we have are already overworked and burned out,” he stated.
A police vehicle surrounded by residents during a crime scene
Photo
NPS