Man who was dramatically arrested in Mathare claimed his child needed help!!
“My child has been tear gassed and you are arresting me?”
Courtesy Al jazeera
By Bilha Nabwire
A Middle aged Kenyan who was dramatically arrested by a plain cloth police officer at Mathare area on Wednesday during the anti-government demonstrations, is purported to have confronted the officers for lobbing a teargas canister at his house.
The yet to be identified Kenyan was criticising the police officers for lobbing teargas at his house where his children were taking shelter before he was shoved into a police vehicle.
A video posted by Africa uncensored on twitter, reveals the man confronting the officers from a distance, saying he was in the house when the teargas was hurled.
“My child has been tear gassed and you are arresting me?” I don’t have any weapon to harm anyone, I came out to ask you to stop lobbing teargas inside our houses, and you are endangering the lives of our children” The man shouted.
The Africa uncensored footage captured the police officer in plainclothes coming from behind a battery of Journalists to capture the young man before fellow police officers in uniform joined in restraining him.
In the footage police officers are seen twisting the man’s arm while forcing him onto the police truck.
“Get onto the truck, very fast; you thought you were a man?” One of the police officer was heard saying”
A section of Human right defenders including Haki Africa and the Media Council of Kenya through the CEO David Omwoyo have expressed concerns in the manner in which the plain cloth police officer acted at the detriment of other Journalists .
“Camouflaging as a journalist by the police officer is unprofessional misconduct on the part of the police as it poses a threat to the lives of journalists in the line of duty” Omwoyo opined.
Omwoyo has further challenged the police officers to desist from arresting and detaining members of the press covering the ongoing anti-government protests.
About Author
