Probe starts on police beating of Kenyan lawmaker

Kenya's police watchdog has launched investigations into Tuesday's brutal conduct of four police officers pictured beating a female lawmaker in the capital, Nairobi.

The police were deployed to the Nairobi County Assembly to disperse lawmakers who had tried to impeach the Speaker amid chaotic scenes, according to local media.

A standoff between the police and lawmakers ensued and the four police officers were pictured assaulting local representative Patricia Mutheu.

The country's police watchdog said it had "contacted some of the people who were present during the chaos" to get testimonies.

"The preliminary enquiry seeks to establish the role played by police officers who were deployed at the premise," it said in a statement.

The local affiliate of Amnesty International has called on the police officers to be held accountable:

.@AmnestyKenya condemns the violence at Nairobi County Assembly. We urge the @IG_NPS to hold @PoliceKE officers to account for the #PoliceBrutalityKE less than one kilometer from his office.
#ElachiImpeachmentChaos pic.twitter.com/zd1XJihYFq

— Amnesty Kenya (@AmnestyKenya) July 28, 2020