More than 400 Mount Elgon residents were tortured by the military during the offensive to flush out the rag-tag Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) militia. According to a report produced by the Independent Medico-legal Unit (IMLU), those arrested were locked up at Bungoma prison after suffering physical injuries from the beatings meted out by the Kenya Army. (28-APR-08)
Based on today´s article in the Kenyan newspaper the Daily Nation, this article has been edited and prepared for publication here by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz.
Due to what the organisation refers to as arbitrary arrests, the number of those in prison has escalated from 700 to 1,380, compounding the congestion problem at the prison. The tortured victims were mainly males from the Sabaot community, aged between 15 and 55 years. “Most of them are school-going children, farmers and casual labourers,” the 13-page document says.
Most of the victims, it says, were arrested in their farms, bus stops, public service vehicles, schools and market places. The IMLU report states that military personnel turned violent whenever the residents asked them to identify themselves during the operation sanctioned by the Government. The military was sent to Mt Elgon after residents complained of constant attacks by SLDF members. The military attacked the SLDF on land and from the air.
Most of the arrests, according to the document, occurred at Cheptais, Bungosi, Kapsiku, Sansa and Burkenwo. Others areas are Meriko, Chesikaki, Kamarang, Kihii Village and Mayanja. “Those arrested were transferred to Kaptoko military camp where they were asked to strip naked before being tortured,” the report says.
Legal advice
It adds that IMLU, with the help of other organisations, will offer free legal advice and representation for those who plan to sue the State for torture. The organisation said it would distribute the document to all human rights groups to press for the punishment and prosecution of security personnel who abused human rights. The use of the military to flush out the rag-tag army had received mixed reactions both from politicians and the public. While some supported the move others criticised it, saying the use of the military was not the best option.
