Saturday, June 14, 2025 - Embakasi East MP, Babu Owino, has slammed rogue police officers who continue to wear facial masks during protests, defying a recent court ruling that declared the practice unconstitutional.
The vocal MP has now called on Inspector General of Police,
Douglas Kanja, to immediately enforce the decision and hold officers
accountable.
In a strongly worded statement, Babu condemned the continued
defiance of Justice Bahati Mwamuye’s ruling, which found that police officers
wearing masks during demonstrations undermines transparency and makes it
difficult to identify individuals using state-sanctioned force.
“It is unacceptable that despite this judicial
pronouncement, certain elements within the police service continue to disregard
the law with impunity,” Babu said.
“The law is clear, and it must be obeyed by all - especially
those entrusted with enforcing it,” he added.
The MP’s remarks come just days after masked officers were
seen dispersing demonstrators on June 12th during protests demanding
justice for Albert Ojwang, a teacher and activist who died in police custody.
In a viral video from the protest, activist Shakira Wafula
was seen confronting an officer and pulling off his face covering before
dashing away.
The incident reignited public debate over masked police,
especially after similar cases during the 2024 Gen Z protests made it nearly
impossible to identify officers accused of brutality.
Babu has warned that the continued defiance risks dragging
Kenya into a dangerous era of “faceless repression” and urged swift action from
the police leadership to restore public trust.
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