Good afternoon and thank you for joining us here this afternoon at .The Nairobi Hospital under such short notice. This afternoon, my colleagues and I met with Dr. Davji Attelah, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) National Secretary General and CEO, who is now confined to The Nairobi Hospital’s High
Dependency Unit (HDU). Dr. Attelah, who is currently stable, has a shattered skull, internal bleeding, and 12 stitches in his head as a result of the police force’s purposeful deployment of a tear gas canister against him yesterday.

To be clear, Dr. Attelah was spearheading a coordinated, nonviolent protest with his fellow medical professionals against the delayed posting of medical interns and other pressing issues facing the health sector. Furthermore, we live in a free and open society that follows the rule of law. Indeed, Article 37 of our Constitution guarantees everyone the freedom to peacefully demonstrate, picket, and deliver petitions to elected officials. The fact that the KMPDU leadership followed all legal obligations by notifying the authorities ahead of time and in accordance with applicable constitutional and legislative regulations adds to the alarming nature of this conduct. Despite this, the police opted to violate their constitutional rights by employing disproportionate and unnecessary force, jeopardizing Dr. Attelah’s life as well as the demonstrators’.

We strongly condemn this incident and encourage the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate this barbarous and inhumane crime. It is not enough for IPOA to “encourage members of the National Police Service (NPS) to discharge their mandate professionally and responsibly,” as stated in a statement last evening; IPOA must not only identify the officers involved but also hold them accountable. This tragedy brings to mind the seventy-five Kenyans who lost their lives between March and July of last year during the nonviolent Maandamano rallies over the high cost of living. The events of yesterday will become the new normal if these acts of police lawlessness go unpunished.

We also fully support calls by the KMPDU to down their tools at midnight in protest of police brutality. It is their constitutional right and we encourage them to do so in a nonviolent manner. While we wish Dr. Attelah a speedy and complete recovery and guarantee the Union of our continuous support, I’d like to remind everyone of former US Senator Robert F Kennedy’s pivotal words: “It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope… and those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” May we like Dr. Attelah and the KMPDU, create a little ripple effect that improves the lives of other Kenyans, thereby strengthening the democracy and freedom we have worked so hard to obtain.