A conversation with Tekin Saeko

From Kianjokoma to Kajiado, police brutality and the cross-border crisis of accountability

Abstract

This essay responds to Tekin Saeko’s tribute to the Kianjokoma brothers, situating his findings within broader philosophical questions of violence, legitimacy, and justice. Saeko argues that the unresolved trial of the alleged suspects, formerly police officers, in the murder of the Ndwiga brothers, more than three years after their deaths, illustrates how justice in Kenya is routinely deferred, rendering accountability a mirage. Further, he highlights the structural weaknesses of oversight institutions such as the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), noting that limited mandates, bureaucratic inertia, and political capture frustrate reform and make convictions rare. Building on these insights, this paper seeks to extend the conversation by placing the Kianjokoma murders alongside the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kajiado. By drawing connections between these separate crimes, this paper explores how patterns of delayed justice, institutional weakness, and political expediency exceed national boundaries, revealing cross-border dimensions of accountability. The analysis also introduces the notion of a ‘dysfunctioning functioning system’ to capture how institutions may operate procedurally yet fail substantively, sustaining wrongful exculpation under the guise of legality. Rather than offering a final answer, this paper opens a philosophical inquiry into how legality and impunity entangle in Kenya’s policing, raising questions about whether accountability in such contexts is ever more than a fragile and deferred promise.