Four Kenyan police officers from a notorious unit linked to extrajudicialkillings and other crimes were charged Monday over the disappearance ofthree men whose bodies have never been found.
The officers were part of the feared Special Service Unit (SSU) that wasshut down last week by President William Ruto over accusations ofinvolvement in a spate of abuses, abductions and violent murders.
The accused appeared in court charged with conspiracy to commit a felonyand abduction over the disappearance in July of two men, both Indiannationals, who were part of Ruto’s campaign team.
Their driver, a Kenyan, also vanished and has not been found.
According to the charge sheet seen by AFP, the accused officers weresuspected of dumping the three missing men in the Aberdares, a denselyforested national park about 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Nairobi.
“This investigation is complex and requires more time and collaborationwith other government agencies including India,” state prosecutors said incourt papers.
They told the court they had “faced interference and threats to life fromserving public servants including police officers” since taking on the case.
The controversy surrounding the disappearance of the three men led Ruto todisband the SSU, which was formed over 20 years ago, and has been linked toa string of crimes.
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In January, after badly decomposed bodies were pulled out of a river inwestern Kenya, some showing signs of torture, Ruto pointed the finger atthe SSU and vowed a police overhaul.
“We can efficiently and effectively suppress crime, monitor, disrupt andapprehend criminals without abducting, torturing, killing or causingcitizens to disappear,” Ruto said on Thursday.
“It is time to retire these terrible tactics and professionalise ourcriminal justice system.”
Police in Kenya have been accused in the past of running hit squads againstthose investigating their crimes, including activists and lawyers.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a civilian-ledwatchdog, said Monday it had begun investigations and an audit of the SSU”as a matter of priority.”
IPOA was established by parliament in 2011 to keep a check on a powerfulinstitution whose reputation also ranks among Kenya’s most corrupt.-APP/AFP