Kenya police say corpses were planted during protests to accuse officers of brutality

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Kenya's inspector general of police said Tuesday that corpses were planted during anti-government protests in order to accuse the police of using excessive force.

Speaking to reporters, Japheth Koome raised concerns that some of the graphic images and videos of bodies circulated on social media had been deliberately fabricated by the opposition.

Koome said that certain mortuary attendants have been complicit in staging these scenes, allegedly receiving compensation to produce misleading content that fuels outrage.

"Our investigations have revealed that opposition leaders have engaged in a propaganda campaign to taint the image of the police service and to demoralize and intimidate our diligent police officers. However, none of their plans will succeed," Koome said at the Kiganjo Police Training College in the capital Nairobi.

The backdrop of the allegations stems from mounting tensions and confrontations that have defined recent anti-government protests in Kenya amid grievances over tax hikes and the high cost of living.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga dismissed the claims, saying "it is disappointing for Inspector General Koome to claim that opposition leaders hired dead bodies. I do not know which world the IG lives in. The bodies of all those who died during the protests had bullet wounds."

Kenya's opposition claims that 50 people were killed by police in demonstrations against tax hikes.