Japhet Koome Now Claims Azimio Leaders Hired Dead Bodies To Taint Image Of Police

• The Inspector General (IG) of Police Japhet Koome said they had intelligence of Azimio hiring bodies in morgues
• Koome said the leaders hired the bodies and then called the media to claim the police killed them during protests
• He said the police had a mandate to protect property and lives, adding that threats from the opposition would not distract them

Nyeri - The Inspector General (IG) of Police Japhet Koome has accused Azimio of stage-managing bodies to paint the police in bad light.

During a media brief on Tuesday, August 8, at Kiganjo Police Training College, the IG stated that they had intelligence on political leaders compromising morgue attendants.

He alleged that the leaders posted the hired dead bodies and claimed the police killed them.

"The information I have is that they go to mortuaries, compromise the workers, their; people who died of some illness, maybe an accident. They take photographs of such bodies and blame them on the police. But we're not in the business of always responding to politicians. Ours is to discharge our mandate.

"We' seen in the recent past and very unfortunate. Senior members of the society going to mortuaries, hiring dead bodies and calling the media, telling media that the people were killed by police officers. How low can some of our leaders sink? They take pictures of the bodies and dispatch them all over social media," Koome claimed.

Koome maintains police undisturbed by ICC threat

He reiterated that National Police Service (NPS) would continue to discharge its mandate without being distracted by Azimio.

Koome said the NPS had a role to play in securing the country and protecting people's lives, and not even the threat of being indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) would stop them.

"As the National Police Service, we have a role to protect life and property. We have a responsibility to ensure this country is secure and safe. That is the mandate we are going to discharge without fear or favour. They can continue threatening us, that so and so will go to ICC."

In an apparent response to ODM leader Raila Odinga's threat to return to the streets, Koome said the police would be decisive in dealing with them.

"There are those who are saying that they will go back to the streets and disrupt peace. We are going to deal with you firmly and decisively. We will use all our equipment to instil peace. The guns that we have are properties of Kenyans," Koome added.

30 people died during protests, Amnesty International

Earlier, Amnesty International Kenya put the Kenyan Police on the spot for killing protesters during the demonstrations called by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party.

In a hard-hitting statement on Thursday, July 20, the rights lobby group demanded that individual police officers and their commanders be prosecuted for excessive force. "

They disclosed 30 deaths attributed to police brutality since the opposition demos started in March this year.