Friday, May 12, 2023 – The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has condemned the government of President William Ruto regarding the ongoing operation in Shakahola.
This is after it emerged that police officers are arresting survivors of the Shakahola massacre instead of helping them after rescue from the forest.
Speaking in Malindi during a press briefing, Prof. Marion Mutugi, a commissioner at KNCHR argued that arresting people from forest was scaring survivors and should be stopped.
According to the KNCHR Commissioner, Ruto’s government should assure Shakahola victims that they will be treated as survivors but not suspects.
“It is saddening to observe that the operations so far have focused on exhumation of the dead rather than rescue of the living. Reports that come to the commission suggest that there are many people still in the forest and because of fear of arrest they have resided deep into the forest,” Marion explained.
Marion stated that allaying fears of the victims, would make the rescue operation even easier, as more survivors would surrender themselves to the authorities.
She recommended a change of strategy in the security operation to focus more on survivors who were still trapped in the forest.
“We recommend that there be a review of priority to focus on rescue of the living and in this regard, we call for a strategy that facilitates saving lives of radicalized, indoctrinated persons in the forest,” she stated.
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