Askaris To Be Given Power To Arrest Lawbreakers But Could Face Life Imprisonment For Brutality In Proposed Bill

Inspectorate officers or Askaris in Nairobi could soon be eligible to make arrests but could also face life imprisonment for their brutality. These changes are part of the proposed bill titled The Nairobi City County Inspectorate Services Bill which aims to revamp the department while taming rogue, cruel and corrupt officers.

The bill which is sponsored by majority chief whip and Parklands MCA Jaffer Kassam gives askaris full powers to arrest lawbreakers. It also allows them to access private premises “upon reasonable suspicion of the commission of an offense and the entry is necessary for the enforcement of the law.”

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The bill, however, also proposes that an askari who subjects a person to cruel, or inhumane, treatment, commits a criminal offense, whose punishment is life imprisonment.

“It will be unlawful for inspectorate officers to subject any person to torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, ” the Nairobi City County Inspectorate Services Bill reads.

The bill then calls for fresh vetting of all the inspectorate officers with those who fail the integrity test removed from service.

“The officers shall undergo vetting by the [County Public Service] Board to assess their suitability and competence to continue in service with regards to compliance with requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution, the Leadership and Integrity Act and other written laws applicable to public officers.”

Nairobi City askaris have for years been accused of brutality while harassing and extorting money from residents, especially the hawkers. In January 2016, four of them were charged with murdering Irungu Kamau, a hawker in the city center on September 16, 2015.

The officers accused were Ambani Akasi, Alfred Maranya, Julius Ochieng and Protus Marigo.

In July the same year, Governor Evans Kidero sacked seven senior inspectorate officers, including a director, after they were implicated in corruption allegations.

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Other propositions in the bill include:

A person who attacks an inspectorate officer, obstructs or assists arrest shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Sh100,000 or a jail term not exceeding one year, or both.

Fines of Sh1 million or a jail term not exceeding 10 years was proposed for impersonators of the askaris.

The bill has passed in the County Assembly and now awaits Governor Kidero’s assent to law.

The inspectorate department, if signed into law, will have new ranks created. A chief inspector which will be appointed by the governor will head the department. The chief inspector will have a deputy who will also be helped by an assistant inspector.