Kenyans protest in Nairobi over death of rights lawyer

Hundreds have held a demonstration in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to protest what they called the extrajudicial killing of a prominent human rights lawyer.

Protesters marched through the streets of Nairobi, holding placards demanding that Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery resign over the death of Willie Kimani, his client and their driver, which the protesters said was carried out at the hands of police.

Some protesters carried a mock coffin emblazoned with the words "Stop extrajudicial killings” while others wore T-shirts with the slogan "Stop police executions.”

The bodies of Kimani, his client Josephat Mwendwa and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri were found last week. The three men disappeared after a court hearing on June 23.

Authorities said Kimani’s wrists were bound with rope, three of his fingers had been chopped off and his eyes appeared to have been gouged out when they found the bodies of the three men by a riverbank outside Nairobi on Friday.

Kimani and Muiruri worked for an international rights group while Mwendwa had sued police in the court over an alleged shooting which led to his injury.

Activists say Kimani was defending Mwendwa against various charges raised against him, including possession of drugs, and other offences.

Kenyan police says they will investigate any breach of law among their forces.

Three officers have been arrested in connection with the deaths of the three men, the officials said on Saturday.

Kenyans complain about police corruption and increasing police abuse with rights groups accusing sections of the police service of involvement in extrajudicial killings.

Kimani had repeatedly criticized police abuse.

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has called for investigations into the killings, while other campaigners have rejected claims by police that the incident was an “isolated case involving a few rogue officers.”

“Many, many Kenyans have gone missing, and this is a situation that is completely intolerable," Law Society of Kenya chairman, Isaac Okero, said, calling the government to take action.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International issued a statement Monday, slamming the abductions and killings of the trio.

“The shocking abduction, enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings of lawyer Willie Kimani, as well as his client and their taxi driver ... should be cause for alarm over the state of human rights and rule of law in Kenya,” said the rights group.

The Human Rights Watch also called on the Kenyan government to conduct a thorough investigation into the case, saying, "Cases of police killings are emerging from many parts of the country each year.”

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