Passaris Defends Police Over Viral Looting Clip, Blames Nation Media for ‘Misleading’ Headline
The video in question shows a uniformed officer holding multiple laptops, boarding a police truck with assistance from a fellow officer.
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris .Photo/Nairobi News.
By Janet Philip
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has come out strongly against Nation Media Group over a viral video circulating online, which appears to show police officers looting laptops during Tuesday’s demonstrations in the city’s Central Business District.
In a statement released on Wednesday, June 18, Passaris dismissed the video’s interpretation, claiming that the police were not looting but rather recovering stolen laptops.
She cited a phone conversation with Nairobi Regional Police Commander George Seda, who confirmed that the items were retrieved from looters and are currently in police custody.
“I have just spoken to the Regional Police Commandant in Nairobi, Mr Seda. The laptops looted from the electronics shop were recovered and are now safely in police custody,” said Passaris.
“Nation Media, your headline saying ‘police leave with laptops’ is misleading. The right word is ‘recovered’, not ‘leave’,” she added.
The video in question shows a uniformed officer holding multiple laptops, boarding a police truck with assistance from a fellow officer.
The truck, filled with other officers, then drives off amid ongoing protests. Despite Passaris’ defense, the video has raised eyebrows online, fuelling fresh scrutiny of police conduct.
Tuesday’s protests, originally organized to honor the late Albert Ojwang, quickly spiraled into chaos. Groups of criminal gangs armed with crude weapons reportedly infiltrated the protests, looting shops and harassing both demonstrators and bystanders.
Eyewitnesses claim the gangs stole phones, handbags, and electronics, with police allegedly failing to intervene.
Opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka went further, alleging that the goons operated with police backing, citing the law enforcers’ restraint toward the armed groups as evidence of possible collaboration.
Some Nairobians and boda boda riders took matters into their own hands, resorting to mob justice to stop looters caught in the act.
Amid the chaos, a tragic incident unfolded when a hawker selling face masks was shot at point-blank range by a police officer.
The incident, caught on video, triggered a national outcry. Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja confirmed the officer’s arrest and impending court appearance.
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