Garissa Senator Abdul Haji, who is the brother of NIS boss Nordin Haji, has expressed his concerns about how some Kenyans seem to get special treatment in cases of police violence and unjust killings.
During a special meeting about the murder of Albert Ojwang on Wednesday, June 11, Haji questioned why similar actions, like special meetings, are not taken when other Kenyans lose their lives.
He emphasised that while it is important to look into Ojwang’s death, he wonders why senators do not act in the same way when other cases of death are discussed in the Senate.
“I am not trying to disrespect today’s meeting, but I want to see fairness in our country. Every Kenyan’s life should matter,” he stated.
For example, he mentioned a case where 40 people from Turkana were killed.
He said, “Last week, the senator from Turkana asked about the deaths of 40 fishermen, but not a single senator called for a special meeting about it. No one else in the country even asked about what happened to those people… This raises a question: are some Kenyans considered more important than others?” Haji asked.
He also talked about ongoing investigations into strange deaths in his own county. He warned that if this keeps happening, other Kenyans might feel like they do not belong to the country.
He encouraged the Senate to hold special meetings for other deaths that are brought to their attention.
“I want to bring up a case of six young men in Garissa who were killed on the street, and we still do not know who was responsible,” he said.
“Human rights groups, media, or civil society have not taken action for them. If this continues, some senators will feel disconnected from the rest of the country.”
Regarding Ojwang’s case, the senator asked the police to clarify if Ojwang was alive when he was taken from the Central Police Station to Mbagathi Hospital. He also questioned why the police are arresting people and moving them to different places.
“I also want to ask IPOA (Independent Policing Oversight Authority): how many police stations have CCTV cameras, and how many of those cameras are inside the cells? “Were the cameras working before IPOA said they had been tampered with?” he asked.
