Four out of 32 officers engaged in quelling riots always armed with live bullets, Owino reveals

Four among a 32-member police platoon deployed for riot control are issued with live bullets.

This has been revealed by former police spokesperson Charles Owino during an early morning interview with a local TV station, who added that the officers get directions from their sergeants on when to use them.

“In kind of riot preparations, not everybody is given a firearm. You always find that in every platoon you organise, 32 officers, only four have firearms. Even those four with firearms always have a sergeant who is older and supposed to give them direction or help them when they want to make mistakes,” Owino revealed.

This is even as he defended police conduct during protests to mark the first anniversary of the protesters killed last year during the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.

According to Owino, officers had exercised notable restraint despite facing extreme provocation and chaos.

Remarking on the shooting of the 22-year-old hawker Boniface Kariuki, Owino claimed that the young boy insulted the police, leading them to act violently.

Owino stressed that young, under-experienced officers often face pressure beyond their control and poor planning during riot deployments can worsen situations.

He explained that there are some ages of officers whom NPS restricts from giving firearms during anti-protest.

The former police spokesperson alleged that the officer who shot Kariuki was using rubber bullets but still misused them.

“You see that boy who shot a young man, even that one is very young. If I look at his number, he has not even worked for three years… not even two years. There are certain ages at which you may not want to give a firearm. Though I’m sure he was not given a firearm, he was given a rubber bullet. But still, he misused it,” he said.

Owino said such young officers should not be left to act independently, as emotional reactions could lead to tragedies.

“You can’t transfer your anger, your anger, into causing everyone a problem,” he said.

He further defended Interior Cabinet Secretary  Kipchumba Murkomen over his ‘shoot-to-kill’ order, saying he made it out of frustration in response to rising threats against police officers and public order.

“You see, he has said that out of annoyance, out of what people have done, out of restraint. It is an abuse of a policeman, beaten and carrying his firearm to the ground, and he still restrained himself. He did not shoot at anyone,” he said.

He emphasized that the law provides strict but clear conditions for the use of firearms by police.

“There are provisions in law when police officers use firearms, and they are clear. One of them is to protect life. Another one is to restrain a person trying to rescue, maybe a criminal who has committed a felony, or somebody who is escaping from custody who has committed a felony,” he said.

Owino urged Kenyans to understand the legal framework guiding the use of firearms by police, noting that officers are only allowed to use guns to protect life, prevent escape by a felon, or stop a felon from being rescued.