Senators have vowed to use their powers to end the use of excessive force by police against protesters.

Several lawmakers said they will summon newly appointed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to explain what he is doing to end police brutality.

Daniel Maanzo (Makueni) said the Constitution is clear on how police should handle suspects.

The law says that “if you are suspected of any crime, you should be taken to court within 24 hours if one has been arrested”, he said.

“That has not happened. There is nowhere in our law where abductions are a way of dealing with anyone or any extrajudicial matter, whether killing or keeping anyone in confinement, without the courts being aware.”

Excessive force

Kakamega’s Boni Khalwale condemned the use of excessive force, saying Kanja will need to shed light on what he said were new ways the police are using rubber bullets, teargas and life rounds.

Unlike before, he said, it was common now to see the police releasing teargas in rural areas, something he said he would only smell during strikes at the University of Nairobi.

He said: “I never imagined that we would be witnessing extra-judicial killings after the exit of, with due respect, the late President Moi.

“Mr Robert Chepkwony, at the prime age of 27 … while exercising his right on the matter of the economy of his county, namely tea farming, was shot dead.

“I do not understand what the police are doing in our villages. As one of the most teargassed leaders in this country – I have been teargassed many times – and several life rounds shot around me.”

He added that police were “following villagers into their homes They are hardening the youth”.

The house should fight the misuse of the police force misuse against citizens, said Eddy Oketh (Migori).

He said: “Senators in this House, through the majority leader’s Motion, expressed themselves overwhelmingly on the issues of police brutality, police mistreatment, abduction and extrajudicial killing.

“It is disappointing that many months after this conversation, the resolutions of this House that were sent to the President of this country – not even a single one – have not been taken seriously.

Shot dead

The lawmakers made the remarks while deliberating on a request for a statement by Senator Wakili Henry Sigei (Bomet).

Sigei sought a statement from the National Security, Defense and Foreign Relations Committee regarding the use of excessive force by police against demonstrators in Bomet County, which led to the death of the young man Khalwale was referring to and injuries to several others.

Some small-scale tea farmers in Bomet had taken to the streets to demonstrate against perceived exploitation and low annual tea bonuses.

But they were met with a brutal response from the police, who Sigei claimed deployed forceful measures, including the use of live ammunition, to disperse them.

Sigei said the “tragic action” led to the death of Chepkwony and injuries to several others, including Japheth Kipkirui Towet (32), who suffered a gunshot wound to his thigh, and Gilbert Kipyegon (17), who “still has a bullet lodged in his knee”.

He added: “I, therefore, request the committee in the statement to provide a detailed account of the events that led to the killing of [Chepkwony] on 18th September 2024, “specifically highlighting the