Police boss suspended over Lang’ata school incident
The police officer who was in charge of Monday’s operation at Lang’ata Road primary school where pupils were tear-gassed has been suspended.
Police spokesperson Masoud Mwinyi told Nairobi News on phone that the suspension was necessitated by the use of tear gas against school children.
“We will provide more details on the said officer later after office protocols take place,” he added.
In police operations of such a proportion, it is usually the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) or the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) who issues orders to his charges.
During Monday’s protest, police used copious amount of tear gas to disperse the pupils who had teamed up with activists to protest the grabbing of the school’s playground by a private developer.
PUNGENT GAS
Photographs of the teary pupils being choked by the pungent gas drew worldwide criticism on social media, with the Jubilee regime being faulted for its increasing choke-hold on dissenting voices.
The #Occupyplayground protests started being organised last week by civil society groups with support from various political leaders.
On Monday morning, dozens of anti-riot police officers were deployed to the school where they vetted those entering the school, denying journalists and activists entry.
At around 10am, the pupils came out of their classrooms and marched towards the fenced playground carrying twigs. They were repulsed at the gate by police officers using tear gas.
Unfazed, they later fell a section of the perimeter wall built around the playground by the private developer.