Overview

• A Kenyan court charged four police officers with crimes against humanity over the death of six-month-old Samantha Pendo during 2017 post-election protests.
• The officers pleaded not guilty to accusations of suffocating and beating the infant after tear gas was thrown into her Kisumu home.
• Charges against eight other officers were dropped due to insufficient evidence, a move condemned by Amnesty International Kenya and 29 other rights groups.
• The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had initially recommended charges against 12 officers for the deaths of Pendo and 39 other protesters during nationwide unrest.
• Civil society groups continue to highlight systemic police brutality in Kenya, where officers are rarely charged or convicted despite frequent allegations of misconduct.