Philip Alston, John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law and U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, is visiting Kenya to make a detailed study of police violence in the country following reports that police reacted with unnecessary force to the riots that broke out after the 2007 presidential election.
The BBC reported on February 16 that Alston will visit Kenya for 10 days to talk to human rights groups and eyewitnesses to the violent aftermath of the election. He will also look into allegations of increased arbitrary killings by security officers.
His visit comes shortly after parliament failed to establish a local tribunal to charge the perpetrators of the post-election violence which killed 1,500 people.
Alston will report his findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council.