Nairobi city county inspectorate officers have been put on the spot after it emerged they have been harassing, extorting money and torturing sex workers after conducting swoops in the Central Business District (CBD).
The shocking revelations were brought to the attention of Nairobi County Assembly by Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege, while requesting statement from the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.
“This is about the report of women and girls being harassed at night by the city county inspectorate officers at night. The Constitution of Kenya grants the citizens of this country comprehensive rights and fundamental freedoms,” she told the House
“In addition, in Article 47, the Constitution provides every person with the rights to fair administrative action,” Waithera said.
She said there have been increasing cases of arbitrary arrests, harassment, extortion of women by city inspectorate officers at night thus infringing on their rights and fundamental freedoms.
“In my introductory inquiry, it was revealed that City inspectorate officers profile women and girls and also men then extort a bribe of Sh500 per night, failure to which they are tortured and locked in the inspectorate vehicles,” she explained.
“During my inquiry, it was noted that most officers don’t wear badges or any form of identification as required by the law,” said the MCA.
The Assembly was told that Nairobi County City Inspectorate Service Act provides guidelines on inspections and arrests.
It makes if illegal for an inspectorate officer to subject any person to torture or other criminal, inhuman or degrading treatment.
For this reason, Waithera requested the chairman of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee to inquire into and report on illegal acts being committed against the women and girls of the night.
She also sought to understand whether the county executive is aware of its officers extorting money from such a profiled group of Kenyans.
Similarly, she wants the House to be furnished with status of the implementation of sensitisation of the officers on the Nairobi city County Inspectorate Service Act 2017 and Public Officers Ethics Act 2003.
“The Committee to inform us measures the county is taking to stop the infamous ruthless handling of residents including women who have been profiled by city inspectorate officers,” she added.
Waithera told the House that she is willing to table evidence and line up several witnesses who have been tortured and harassed to testify during an inquiry by the committee.
The committee’s chairman Jared Akama asked to be given seven days to respond to the allegations.
“That matter will competently be executed by my able committee. This is a matter of urgency concerning the matter of human rights” he responded.
