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Bodies of slain officers being offloaded at Chiromo Mortuary/MUTHONI NJUKI

Kenya

Fury as decomposed bodies of ambushed police arrive

“Why couldn’t they be taken out of that (Suguta) valley in time? Which government leaves their officers to lie out there for that long?” he posed.

Forty two officers killed were among a contingent of 107 policemen sent out to recover stolen cattle, but only 50 returned alive. Nine are admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital with serious gunshot injuries. The whereabouts of six others remain unknown.

Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said the officers were ambushed as they headed for a security operation to flush out bandits and recover animals they had stolen from manyattas in Samburu.

“The operational strategy was okay, but it is unfortunate because they were ambushed two kilometres from the manyatta they were headed to recover the animals. It appears the strategy leaked to the bandits,” Iteere said.

But families interviewed at the Chiromo mortuary blamed senior officers for having deployed young officer’s fresh from college to the battle ground.

“My cousin was deployed there after the recent passout parade at the Administration Police College in Embakasi. He had no experience on such a situation at all,” Joseph Ochieng, a cousin to 23-year-old Duncan Omolo who perished in the attack said.

A relative of another deceased officer who was identified as Abubakar Sisoko said it was the first posting for the slain officer.

“We have never seen him since graduating from college. He was posted immediately and we had been waiting for him. It is so unfortunate that he is dead,” a relative who was so emotional that he could not give his name said.

On the missing officers, the Police Commissioner said: “We are still looking for them, we hope to find them alive,” the police chief told reporters at the Wilson Airport.

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He said he would not resign over the police killings saying: “I am not to blame; the nitty gritty of the operation strategy are left to the commanders on the ground. Those calling for my resignation are exercising their constitutional right. They are entitled to their opinion.”

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