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Police in Kenya have launched investigations after a video circulated on social media that shows police brutally assaulting University of Nairobi students.
Kenya Police spokesman Charles Owino, however, said that police had not independently confirmed whether the video was captured on Monday at the university.
The video shows police officers beating the students as they lie down, in a line, on a pavement. The officers take turns in the beatings, and some of the students can be heard wailing. It is not clear what time of day the video was taken.
On Monday, students from the university engaged in confrontation with riot police as they protested the election of the university students’ union leaders.
A university student who spoke to a Daily Nation reporter said most of the students on the video were forcibly evicted from hostels and classes and were beaten up for no reason.
Owino said it was clear from the video some students had their schoolbags with them. He claimed women were ejected from their hostels and sexually harassed.
The police spokesman, however, said the officers involved in quelling the riots were advised not to go to the hostels unless it was necessary.
“We only prevent them from coming out of the university grounds to cause chaos and destruction. We do not go to their rooms,” he said.
Owino urged students who were attacked to report to the police station and record their statements.
“Investigations into the alleged attack can only be complete if the victims report to us,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference later in the morning, Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome said the video had not been shot on Monday.
He said the video was posted online by bloggers to discredit police officers.
He added that reports that police officers raped students were under investigation.
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Source: YouTube
