The Ministry of Interior has called for the establishment of the Office of the Coroner General.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry urged President William Ruto to initiate the process of establishing the office.
According to the ministry, the office will be responsible for carrying out investigations into deaths, especially during the recent anti-government protests.
“The Ministry has recommended to His Excellency, the President, to initiate the process of establishing the Coroner General’s Office as per the National Coroners Service Act 2017 to investigate deaths, including those resulting from police action. The Coroner General’s Office will also ensure accountability and transparency in cases of suspicious deaths,” read the statement in part.
Meanwhile, the Ministry noted that security enforcement agencies have been under instruction to exercise restraint except in specific instances.
However, it stated that police can indeed be compelled to use reasonable force in isolated and specific scenarios.
“The police can indeed be compelled to use reasonable force when isolated and specific scenarios of protests escalate to criminalities including rioting, looting and burning of properties, disruption of traffic through the erection of roadblocks on major highways and invasion of critical and protected infrastructure,” the Ministry stated.
The Ministry also stated that more security personnel have been deployed in hotspots and areas where security for critical infrastructure is prioritized.
“We remain on high alert concerning the insecurity posed by protest infiltrations and the cases of violence and disruption of public order. A National Multi-Agency Command to coordinate the security operations has been established,” the statement added.
Further, the Interior Ministry warned criminals camouflaging as peace-loving saying they will be dealt with firmly in strict adherence to the law and the National Police will continue to pursue all those culpable, whether the crimes were committed in the past.
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