Ipoa said that it had dispatched its Rapid Response Unit to conduct the investigations.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has started investigations into allegations of assault of University of Nairobi students by the police.
Ipoa said that it had dispatched its Rapid Response Unit to conduct the investigations after receiving complaints of alleged assault, rape and misconduct by police officers who were dispatched to quell chaos by the students on Saturday.
The university was closed indefinitely on Tuesday, following days of protests by students over the election of Babu Owino as their union leader.
Vice-Chancellor Felix Mulwa Mbithi, in a statement sent to newsrooms, advised students to vacate the university premises before 5pm on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Ministry of Education hosted a high-level meeting that was attended by Mr Mbithi, his deputy, Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet, the Principal Secretary for Higher Education Colletta Suda and Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to deliberate on the situation at the University of Nairobi.
The meeting was held at Dr Matiang’i’s office where some parents of the contestants of the student leadership positions were also called in to discuss the conduct of the students.
CANING STUDENTS
A video purportedly showing officers from the GSU caning students lying on a pavement in turns has gone viral, with students claiming that the officers used excessive force.
The Daily Nation has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the video or the period it was shot.
In the video, tens of students are seen lying on a wet tarmac pavement as officers cane them in turns. Some of the students are heard wailing.
The video elicited mixed reactions from members of the public, but leaders condemned the decision by the police to use “excessive force” to quell the violence.
The university’s Women Students Welfare Association, WOSWA, said they have sought the representation of the Federation of Women Lawyers Fida over the alleged assault and rape incidences by police officers on Saturday.
“Male GSU officers entered the institution at around 4pm on Saturday and started beating us, yet we were not protesting. They sexually assaulted some of the female students,” Woswa chair Hilda Uku said there was no need to deploy GSU officers to the hostels since there was no violence.
She alleged that a student was raped in the bathroom by a police officer, adding that another GSU officer attempted to rape another student at the same hostel.
She also claimed that the officers took phones and laptops from the hostels and paved way for male students to even steal more things from the females.
DENIED RIGHTS
“We were denied the rights to freedom, privacy and security, by people whose job is to ensure the safety of members of the public,” Ms Uku said.
Although she did not disclose the identity and the whereabouts of the victim, she said the events of that day traumatised her and her colleagues.
Fida Kenya chairperson Josephine Mongare said the organisation would offer free legal representation to all victims of the “brutality”.
“Entering the hostels where the females were seeking refuge is a clear indication of the purposed atrocities by the GSU officers,” the Fida boss said.
Ipoa on Wednesday requested the public, including students who were at any of the affected scenes, to report to them, stating that it would give regular updates as investigation progresses.
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