IN SHORT: A video from 2018 showing a violent assault by a police officer in Nairobi has resurfaced online, prompting fresh outrage in Kenya. Human rights groups condemned the brutality. The police service confirmed disciplinary action was taken at the time.
Warning: This report fact-checks and links to violent and distressing imagery.
A disturbing video showing a Kenyan police officer assaulting an unarmed person is making the rounds on Facebook in May 2025.
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The video is captioned: "A Police officer was caught on camera stepping and swinging on a civilian's neck today!"
It shows a police officer with a pistol in his hand stomping on a man's head and neck. The clip captures the officer forcing the man to lie on the ground before repeatedly stepping on him, even as the man appears to struggle. The man lying on the ground seems to be in distress but the officer continues to assault him as bystanders watch on.
Police brutality in Kenya is well-documented and persistent, often involving excessive use of force, unlawful killings, torture and harassment, particularly during law enforcement operations, political protests, curfews and raids on informal settlements.
During the post-election violence of 2007 to 2008 and again in 2017, police were accused of extrajudicial killings, excessive force, and sexual violence against civilians.
These incidents have often been captured on video, sparking public outrage but rarely resulting in prosecutions or convictions.
The video showing the assault by the police officer also appears here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But does this show an incident from 2025? We checked.
Video shows 2018 incident not 2025
We used the InVID search tool to extract keyframes from the video. We ran the keyframes through a Google reverse image search and found that the video was first posted online in 2018.
It was widely reported that the video showed an unnamed police officer assaulting an unarmed civilian named Brian Ogutu in Nairobi in 2018. Ogutu and a friend had attempted to intervene in a robbery by throwing a stone at the thief.
According to Ogutu, the stone thrown by his friend accidentally hit a matatu, or minibus taxi. The police officer, who was in the matatu, was reportedly angered by the incident and he violently attacked Ogutu.
At the time, the National Police Service (NPS) confirmed that the officer had been identified and disciplined, but his name and rank were not released publicly.
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After the video resurfaced in May 2025, the police posted a press statement on X, confirming these details.
"The Service wishes to clarify that the incident occurred in 2018, and the officer captured in the clip was identified, with appropriate disciplinary action taken against him. As a Service, we reaffirm our commitment to serve and protect while upholding constitutional standards of human rights and fundamental freedoms," wrote the NPS.
The video has been reposted in 2025 here, here, here, here and here.
