Civil Rights Activist Robbed at Gun-point by Kenyan Police

Odhiambo addressing the public at a past activists' rally in front of Parliament Buildings.

Civil rights activist and Poverty Transition Initiative CEO Fred Odhiambo was recently robbed at gun-point by members of the dreaded Administration Police personnel attached to The Nyayo House Complex as he arrived in the city at dawn from his South Nyanza village visit.

They picked him moments after he alighted from a bus in front of I&M Building on Kenyatta Avenue as he prepared to cross the road to find a matatu to his Ngong residence. They took him at gun point and marched him to Nyayo House compound where they ordered him to lie face-down as they ransacked his pockets hand-bags.

They drank my fruit juice and ate biscuits meant for my children and forced me reveal my SIM-PIN as they transferred all my money to one of the officer's phone number identified as Edward Wachira by the Safaricom statement print-out available to The Star.

"Together with my personal effects such as phone and tapes with video clips of my activism work, everything was calculated to cost 100,000 shillings". he told The Star after a meeting Thursday with four accused officers who were escorted to Central Police Station by their unit in-charge identified as Mr. Kinywa from Kariokor AP Post.

“They got me scared, two guns on my head on a chilly morning, threatening to kill me instantly” if he tried to raise alarm.

Odhiambio's claim to fame came for his attempt to pass a message to President Kibaki and PM Raila Odinga during a national day celebration at Nyayo National Stadium (presently Coca Cola Stadium) in 2008.

He successfully breached security and sat just a mere three rows from the President, settling on a chair, unseating government minister George Saitoti for 1 hour. The Security detail around the president and PM only got of this breach when he tried to walk to Kibaki on the podium.

At the 'hearing' inside the DCIO's office today, the officers begged for mercy, sobbing uncontrollably as they found it hard to explain their action against an innocent civilian, contrary to their good call of duty to protect.

One of the officers begged for forgiveness saying "he has a wife and children, and is paid very little to even take care of them".
A visibly angry DCIO didn't want to hear of it until Odhiambo agreed to an offer to settle out of court if all his property stolen by the officers are returned by 20th January.

The Administration Police Service (formerly force) are infamous for their trigger-happy escapades and have been in a long standing call by civil society to be disbanded.

An AP officer shot dead unarmed demonstrator in Kisumu city during the chaos sparked by the post-election stalemate of early 2008. The officer acted undisturbed. It is believed to have been used to inflict atrocities and rape on civilians during the post poll violence in the country in early 2008 by Waki Report.