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Please be patient as we probe lawyers murder – Govt pleads

Speaking after receiving a petition from 34 Civil Society Organisations, Secretary in the Internal Security office Amos Gatheca described the actions as those of rogue officers who were acting on their own initiative/KEVIN GITAU

Speaking after receiving a petition from 34 Civil Society Organisations, Secretary in the Internal Security office Amos Gatheca described the actions as those of rogue officers who were acting on their own initiative/KEVIN GITAU

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 4 – The government is calling on Kenyans to be patient as investigations into the murder of lawyer Willie Kimani, his client and a taxi driver are conducted to uncover the truth of what happened.

Speaking after receiving a petition from 34 Civil Society Organisations, Secretary in the Internal Security office Amos Gatheca described the actions as those of rogue officers who were acting on their own initiative.

Gatheca indicated that no stone will be left unturned in unravelling the deaths of the three and tough action will be taken against anyone found culpable.

“I want to assure you that this matter is being taken very seriously and the government will see this through. Those officers were working on their own and we will make sure that should they be found culpable, they will be prosecuted,” he said.

His sentiments come even as pressure piled on police to end extra judicial killings, the recent of which has shocked the country.

According to James Kironji of the International Justice Mission, the Inspector General of Police should confirm whether the Administration Police officer accused of shooting Josephat Mwenda in April 2015 is one of those under arrest.

“Josephat’s case represents cases of thousands of young men who will be arrested by the police on false or non-existent charges. Josephat, Willie and Joseph represent many innocent civilians killed for no lawful reason with those who are supposed to protect them,” he stated.

Kironji pointed out that a transparent process of investigating and prosecuting those responsible is what is needed to reassure Kenyans who have been left shocked by the recent incident.

Led by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the activists held street demonstrations in Nairobi to protest the killings.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Executive Director George Kegoro described it as a matter of concern that the killings come in the wake of similar allegations in other parts of the country which have not been adequately investigated and concluded.

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Lawyers across the country also boycotted court attendances to protest the killing of their colleague and his two companions.

The Law Society of Kenya’s (LSK) Chairman Isaack Okero said he had written to heads of various judicial divisions notifying them of the one-week boycott that is aimed at paralysing court operations across the country.

Okero stated that while the Society welcomed the arrests made following orders by IG Boinnet, the extra judicial killings shouldn’t have taken place in the first place.

Government Spokesman, Eric Kiraithe assured the demonstrators of security during the protests on the city streets.

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