President William Ruto has promised that action will be taken against police officers who flouted the law during the anti-Finance Bill protests.
As pressure from activists mounts, the President told close to 200,000 X users that officers implicated in conducting abductions and illegal arrests will be tracked down and brought to book.
“If anything is down outside the procedure, then it is illegal and punishable by law,” he said when one officer’s name was broached by participants.
Ruto said should the details be available to him and his officers, action will be taken.
However, the head of state denied allegations that 200 people were killed in Githurai during the protests, in what was termed a 'night of terror'.
"We are dealing with a very serious issue. Please let us not use information that is not verified. It helps to create a situation that is not correct," the President said.
There was no such occurrence, he said and called on those with evidence to come forward and present it.
"I want to offer you to bring the names and family members of the people who are saying their loved ones are not there, don't even take them anywhere, bring them to State House," the President said.
"The family members who are saying I have lost so and so, a member of my family was there on Monday last week, he went to maandamano and he didn't come back and where possibly are the bodies."
A group of human rights activists demanded that the government take responsibility for the harms caused to Kenyans.
“[The state must] acknowledge the violations suffered by victims during the Gen Z protests and initiate measures to provide them with effective remedies to address the physical and psychological harms they have suffered, including issuing a public apology, providing access to free health care and compensation to address emerging socio-economic needs,” they said.
The lobbies also asked that the government waive medical bills and fray the burial expenses.
It was time to interrogate historical injustices and gross human rights violations that remain unaddressed, the lobbies said, including the non-implementation of the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission.
This should include addressing police brutality dating back to election cycles starting from 2007 and give reparation to the victims.
The state should “ensure prioritisation of adequate resource allocation to enhance the capacities of independent constitutional commissions to provide oversight and relevant checks on government excesses”.
In his response, Ruto said police know how they are supposed to effect an arrest.
“When the police arrest someone, they must declare to the person they are officers and the reason they are arresting the person. They must also take the suspect to a place that is known. Claims of abductions is a matter that I will take up and deal with it,” he said.
This follows the assertion by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday denying reports that the government abducted Kenyans before, during and after the demos.
While a section of social media activists claimed they had been abducted by security forces and held incommunicado, Kindiki said those were arrests and not abductions.
"We do not condone abductions neither does the Constitution allow either abductions or enforced disappearances or even torture," the CS said.
Last week, the Law Society of Kenya and the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leadership handed the DCI a report showing at least 39 persons who went missing during the protests.