Citizen TV, an affiliate of Royal Media Services, aired exclusive coverage on July 17, 2023, reporting how yesterday’s demos were conducted by Eliud Lang’at, a police boss from Rift Valley. Lang’at is currently the acting Deputy Inspector General of Police after Douglas Kanja was appointed to act as the IG following the sudden resignation of Japheth Koome.
According to the report by the Royal Media Services-owned TV station, Lang’at, according to insiders, is the one who directed the police conduct in and around Nairobi City. He is reported to have personally led security operations that resulted in criminals posing as peaceful protesters being shot, while others were arrested.
However, it isn’t Lang’at’s security operations in Nairobi that have angered many Kenyans but the behaviour exhibited by the police during the demos. Kenyans are demanding to know who ordered the use of live bullets and the throwing of teargas canisters in places such as churches and hospitals that didn’t deserve the violence.
Nairobi regional commander Adamson Bungei
Consequently, Kenyans are also questioning why a Deputy Inspector General was firing shots, considering there is an Inspector General of Police who should be commanding his officers during operations. Some suspect that Lang’at could be taking orders from higher authorities, leading to the shootings and unnecessary injuries that could have been avoided.
Regarding police arrests and abductions, the National Police Service (NPS) has described as “highly regrettable” the forceful arrest of veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho. In a statement, the NPS sought to clarify that it does not target journalists.
“We reiterate that as a Service, we do not target journalists in any way, and today’s incident is highly regrettable,” the police said on X.
The Police Service stated that the arrest was a case of mistaken identity. The person who was supposed to be arrested is a social media influencer who shares the name Gaitho.
