‘Enough is Enough’: Kenyans take to the streets to protest against police brutality

A rural Kenyan neighbourhood was packed with protesters on Monday in light of a recently released report detailing the police brutality that came with the enforcing of COVID-19 related lockdowns.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) announced that it has received 87 complaints of abuse from Kenyan citizens by law enforcement. The spike of police violence is said to have been influenced by the dusk-to-dawn curfew which came into play from March 27th.

According to the report released by IPOA, 15 people were killed, and "31 incidents where victims sustained injuries" which were "directly linked to actions of police officers during the curfew enforcement."

Rahma Wako, a mother and resident of the Kenyan neighbourhood Mathare, said, "I am here to protest for our youth who have died in the hands of the police without any wrongdoings and we are saying enough is enough."

The Kenyan protesters are certainly with the times as is seen with the current global and societal climate. On May 25th, the murder of unarmed African-American man George Floyd sparked global protest, as many have felt empowered to take on their own perpetrators in the recent wave of global unrest.

Many African countries have been up in arms as law enforcers have violently, and sometimes fatally, enforced lockdown rules in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been cases of excessive force and unnecessary brutality, and many African nationals have taken to the streets to demand justice be served against the authoritative figures brought in to protect them.