Police Commander Admits Breach by Officers Who Oversaw Demolitions in Embu

In an unusual admission of fault, Embu County Police Commander Samuel Muthamia has acknowledged that police officers breached the law by overseeing the demolition of houses.

Four families in Gituburi Village in Mbeere North Constituency, Embu County, were left homeless after their houses were demolished.

The residents disclosed that a bulldozer descended on their homes on Wednesday, January 22, at 3 a.m. under the supervision of security officers from Siakango Police Station.

According to the residents, the demolitions were done illegally since there was a pending court case on the land the houses sat on. The houses were allegedly demolished by a private developer claiming to have bought the land.

Narrating the horrific scenes, the residents revealed that the police officers were very harsh on them and nearly caused the death of a toddler who was trapped in a house after the bulldozer collapsed a wall.

Speaking on Thursday while visiting the affected residents, Muthamia acknowledged that the police officers were wrong in overseeing the demolitions instead of ensuring the proper procedure was followed.

“Issues of the courts are beyond us but there are some procedures we must follow before overseeing any demolitions. There was a clear breach of what should have been done. For that, we are going to take administrative action against the officers involved,” Muthamia revealed.

The police commander assured the residents that they would resolve the issue that led to the demolitions.

Echoing the commander’s sentiments, Mbeere North Member of Parliament Geoffrey Ruku called for action to be taken against the officers.

The MP demanded the immediate removal of all police officers from the Siakango Police Station and their prosecution as they condemned how the demolitions were carried out without following due process.

“By today, we don’t want the OCS of this station to be here, all the police officers who were at the scene must leave immediately,” the MP ordered.

On Wednesday, the angry residents descended on the area assistant chief’s motorbike and burnt it to ashes. They accused the assistant chief of working in cahoots with the police and the demolishers.