High Court Judge Bahati Mwamuye issued the directive on Wednesday, stating that police officers must not “in any way hide or obscure their face to render them difficult to identify or unidentifiable.”
Additionally, Justice Mwamuye ordered that police should not obscure the identification, registration, or markings of any vehicle while dealing with individuals involved in or planning to assemble, demonstrate, picket, or petition.
“Pending inter-partes hearing and determination, a conservatory order is therefore issued that all uniformed police officers acting under the direction and support of the National Police Service shall at all times affix a nametag or identifiable service number in a clear visible part of their uniform when engaging with persons involved in or planning to assemble, demonstrate, picket, or petition and shall not remove or obscure the same,” the court’s interim orders state.
The court has directed that the applicants serve the Respondents through the National Police Headquarters and file an Affidavit of Service by close of business on Friday, August 16. The Respondents, including the police, have until August 21 to file and serve their responses to the application by the Law Society of Kenya, which was submitted on July 31.
The case is scheduled for mention on September 17, 2024, for further directions. The interim orders were issued following an urgent application by the Law Society of Kenya seeking to prevent the National Police Service from deploying plainclothes officers in response to protests.