Uproar after 10 police officers captured on CCTV brutally assaulting men for playing pool

Kenyans have expressed anger after a viral CCTV clip showed armed police officers assaulting young men who were playing pool in Nandi Hills town, with leaders now demanding swift action against those involved.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei and Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino condemned the disturbing acts and what they termed as abuse of human rights, saying the youth were physically assaulted despite committing no offence.

In the CCTV footage which depicts the incident on the night of Sunday, January 10 at 11:51 pm, at least 10 police officers from Nandi Hills Police Station, armed with guns and rungus, are seen storming a room with two pool tables where several young men were playing.

The officers order the men to lie flat on the ground before brutally roughing them up as they demand identification documents.

As the assault continues, the officers are heard ordering the victims to produce their IDs and instructing them to place the documents in their mouths as they question why they were out late at night.

The beating lasts several minutes before the officers leave, instructing the men to remain lying on the ground.

In a statement posted on X on Friday morning, the senator cited Article 244 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, which mandates the National Police Service to respect human rights, promote professionalism, integrity and foster good relations with the public.

“I want to strongly condemn these acts of police brutality, criminality and abuse of human rights perpetuated by police officers in Nandi Hills town, Nandi county, to peace-loving youth whose only mistake was playing a pool game,” Cherargei said.

“Under the constitution of Kenya 2010 Article 244, the National Police Service is mandated to respect human rights, promote high standards of professionalism, good relationships with broader society and integrity. This provision has been violated by these rogue police officers.”

Adding to the condemnation, Babu Owino said, “I am deeply disturbed by the incident where police officers from Nandi Hills Police Station violently assaulted young men whose only ‘crime’ was playing pool.”

He stressed that playing games is not a crime and warned against criminalising harmless activities undertaken by young people.

“Let it be stated clearly: playing a game is not a crime. Our youth are already going through a lot in this country. For many of them, engaging in games is not just leisure, but a positive way to keep themselves occupied, avoid crime and build talent,” he said.

Owino further noted that no law requires Kenyans to carry identification documents at all times, nor does any law prohibit people from playing games at night.

“Even where a law is alleged to have been broken, the police cannot act as both arresting officers and prosecutors, nor can they serve as judges. Kenya is a constitutional democracy founded on the principle of presumption of innocence,” he said, adding that brutality and violence have no place in law enforcement.

The two legislators have now demanded the intervention of the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, to interdict and suspend the officers involved, as well as administrative action against their superiors, including members of the county security team.

They also called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to begin investigations with a view to prosecution, with Cherargei accusing the watchdog of reluctance in past cases.

“I demand that immediately the Inspector General of Police should interdict and suspend the said police officers for this act of impunity to pave the way for independent investigations,” Cherargei stated.

“We demand the immediate arrest of the officers involved, and they should be charged with assault. Our youths deserve dignity, protection and opportunity, not violence,” Babu Owino added.