On Friday, March 24, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations announced that investigations were underway to arrest individuals captured on camera vandalising public property during the Monday, March 20 protests.
In a statement, the DCI ordered all individuals captured in the photos and footage shared from the demos to surrender themselves at the unit’s headquarters before the close of business (5 pm) on Friday, March 24. This was seven hours since the alert was issued at 10 am.
The unit detailed that investigations were focused on a range of offences, including the protestors who destroyed road signages and the attacks targeting private businesses.
“The Directorate is currently on a manhunt for the suspects whose images appear below as others are being gathered and shall be updated, who will face charges ranging from robbery with violence, malicious damage to public property and assault among other allied offences,” the statement read.
Further, the detectives were also investigating cases where protestors attacked police officers, leaving 33 officers injured in the melee.
DCI cited one case where a gun loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm calibre assigned to one of the officers went missing.
“The firearm was lost by one of our officers after he was attacked by a gang of a well-coordinated riotous mob, as the officers prevented the destruction of public property in the Embakasi area of Nairobi County,” DCI explained.
DCI further warned protestors in upcoming demonstrations to observe and respect other people’s rights. In addition, the unit called upon public members to volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of culprits.
“The Directorate of Criminal Investigations cautions members of the public that while the right to assemble, picket and petition is enshrined in our constitution, these rights should be exercised with civility and should not infringe on the rights of others,” the statement added.
The announcement came days after Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja, called out protestors who participated in the looting infrastructure in the Nairobi Central Business District.