BY THOMAS KARIUKI.
Women maimed, trampled upon by then President Daniel Moi’s government in 1992 at Uhuru park ‘freedom corner’ to receive handsome compensation.
A Nairobi court has ordered the government to pay over Sh18 million to six women who spent days and night at Uhuru Park in the year 1992 clamoring for the release of their detained sons.
The six women were awarded Sh3 million each by High Court Judge John Mativo who held that their rights were violated by police and General Service Unit officers.
“I have considered the nature of the violations of the petitioner’s constitutional rights and it may not be easy to quantify denial of fundamental rights and freedoms, I award each of the petitioners 3 million shilling each,” ruled judge Mativo.
The petitioners argued that in the year March 1992 while at Uhuru Park Freedom Corner in Nairobi when they were peacefully agitating for the release of all political prisoners they were without any lawful cause and in contravention of their constitutional rights subjected to acts of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment by the police and General Service Unit officers.
They argued that they were arrested and bundled into a police vehicle and forcefully taken to their respective rural homes an act that violated their constitutional rights.
The Freedom corner six told the court that they suffered physically, psychologically, economically and politically.
They said they were tortured for expressing their fundamental rights of freedom of expression and association enshrined in the constitution and particularly for agitating for release of political detainees.
