Kenyan police under investigation for beating protesters

Police in Kenya's capital came under fire Tuesday for what critics said was a heavy-handed response to a largely peaceful opposition protest. Video and pictures from a demonstration Monday at the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in Nairobi shows riots officers firing tear gas and beating protesters with batons, including a man who was repeatedly struck and kicked after being taken down by police.Kenya's police chief has called for an internal investigation, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka.Macharia Njeru, chairman of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, told reporters that a segment of the police force were notorious for "excessive force" and acted outside of the law. 

Video showed largely peaceful demonstrators chanting, blowing whistles and carrying signs. In another part of the video, men in the crowd are seen breaking slabs of stone into smaller pieces. There were reports of rocks being hurled at officers but that was not captured on video.Later, the video shows plumes of white smoke rising above the crowds. Some officers fired tear gas while other flailed their batons at protestors who appeared to be trying to get away.

In a scene widely circulated on social media, a man in a green hooded sweatshirt is chased and taken down by riot officers, who strike him with batons and kick him multiple times as he lay motionless on the ground. The beating has sparked public outrage and the hashtag #StopPoliceBrutality.

The man, identified as Benard Ngari Ngatia, later told Capital FM radio that he was applying for a job when he was caught up in the police response.

The weekly protests have been organized by the opposition Coalition for Reform and Democracy, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who lost the 2013 election and unsuccessfully challenged the result in court.