Dreadlocked men are harassed, abused and killed for their appearance

The artiste narrated his ordeal on one of his social media accounts revealing that police officers arrested him despite the musician being badly injured at the time.

"I had an accident some time ago on my bike like 30 minutes before curfew headed home and I couldn’t ride as I was badly injured."

Cops found me at the nyari round about and I was like thank God. But they harassed me, made me push a broken down bike to their station while injured and locked me in a cell the whole night," the artist continued.

"Cops found me at the nyari round about and I was like thank God. But they harassed me, made me push a broken down bike to their station while injured and locked me in a cell the whole night," revealed Luhya Heat. Pulse Live Kenya

Captain Charisma believes he was harassed and subsequently arrested due to systemic discrimination dreadlocked men in Kenya face from the police.

My bro @fines_immanuel came and had to pay in order to get me help. And why? Because they decided “rasta ni mkora.” Not for a second did they think I probably needed medical care, the artist concluded.

Dreadlocked men live in fear

Since the British illegally formed the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya in 1920, men with dreadlocks have had to deal with negative interactions with not only the police but also the general public.

Just yesterday August 20, Ricky, a member of the band Wanavokali, was arrested at 3 pm along Globe Cinema Roundabout.

He was walking together with his bandmates in town when three plain-clothed police officers arrested, cuffed and frog marched him to the station without stating why.

One of the band members who was with Ricky when he was arrested said, "we were walking peacefully in town then this guy suddenly decided to grab Ricky by the sweater for no reason and says he wants to frisk him out of the blue.

Ricky, a member of the band Wanavokali, was arrested at 3 pm along Globe Cinema Roundabout. Pulse Live Kenya

So we are like, why? Why choose the guy with the dreadlocks out of all of us? We are just walking peacefully."

Ricky was later released but the police failed to explain the reason for his arrest.

Kitengela killings

In August 8, a day set for celebration turned tragic after four dreadlocked men, mistaken to be cattle thieves, were brutally murdered in Kitengela.

The two brothers and their two cousins had gone to visit a relative for a housewarming party and to celebrate the birthday of one of them.

Unbeknown to them was that it would be the final journey for Fred Mureithi, his younger brother Victor Mwangi who was celebrating his 25th birthday, and their two cousins Mike George and Nicholas Musa.

The four men were profiled which led to their gruesome death. Detectives arrest Main Suspect in murder of four men in Kitengela Pulse Live Kenya

At around 6pm, the two brothers left to look for a place they could buy chicken in Kisaju but a stop near a riverbank at Enkamulyat area, some 14km from Kitengela town, was where death lay in wait.

Residents who saw motorbikes parked by the riverbank thought the owners were out to steal their cattle.

They then raised alarm and without listening to the young men's plea, speared the four to death. The area which is commonly referred to Kitengela Reserve has had cases of cattle theft.