Lawyers investigating children's rights violations in school

Kenya: A team of lawyers from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) is investigating children rights violations against the police after some officers lobbed tear-gas canisters at Langata Road Primary School pupils.

Gertrude Angote from Kituo cha Sheria said preliminary investigations indicate children rights were violated and LSK wants to establish on whose instructions the police were acting.

She said the suspension of area OCPD Elijah Mwangi is a clear admission that the Government violated children's rights.

"The rule of law must be followed at all times. Who sent those police officers there? Who was the commander of the mission?" she wondered.

The team will not only investigate the police but also any other individual who may have exposed the children to any harm, be it human rights activists or teachers.

"If we find that there were individuals who used children or compromised them into a violation, then we will hold those individuals culpable irrespective of who they are," said Ms Angote.

The team will conduct interviews on all those who were present and thereafter release a preliminary report.

Nominated MP and TNA Chairman Johnson Sakaja termed the incident as unfortunate and embarrassing.

"It is like there has been an epidemic of land grabbing in this country. The height of impunity is when someone can imagine they can fence off a playground of a school and nothing will happen to them. We would have expected to first see the police here when the wall went up, not when the wall was going down," he said.

He added: "It is disturbing that it had to reach that level before all the leaders concerned with public land responded, asking for immediate investigations and prosecutions."

He called on the registrar of companies to reveal the owners of the company who are the alleged owners of the land and also asked the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission to investigate and prosecute the said owners.

"We will not allow the corporate veil to be used to hide individuals who have decided that they can grab any public utility," added the legislator.