An autopsy sanctioned by the girl’s family and human rights activists contradicted Kimaiyo’s assertions that the officers shot the girl after she tried to attack them with a machete. Photo/ MUTHONI NJUKI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 10 – Pressure is mounting for the arrest and prosecution of two police officers accused of killing a 14-year-old girl in Kwale.
The Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) Executive Director Peter Kiama says police have failed to arrest their colleagues, who include the Kinango DCIO despite an order by the courts.
“Failure by the police to arrest their colleagues when orders are issued by the Office of the DPP is to us the highest level of impunity and we are happy that the judiciary is acting positively about it. We do hope that the officers will respect the law as officers in the National Police Service (NPS) and appear and honour the court summons. If not we are demanding that the IG facilitates the execution of the court order,” he told a news conference on Friday.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko had sanctioned their prosecution but they failed to appear in court on Thursday, prompting the judge to order their arrest to face charges on Monday.
The two are accused of killing the girl during a raid in Kwale, although police Chief David Kimaiyo initially claimed they were acting in self defence.
An autopsy sanctioned by the girl’s family and human rights activists contradicted Kimaiyo’s assertions that the officers shot the girl after she tried to attack them with a machete.
“Looking at what is unfolding we are very concerned that there is a very fundamental concern within the NPS that is being manifested in the increasing number of people dying from police bullets in cases where police officers are not under threat neither are civilians under threat. We call upon the IG to change this trend, and to change it immediately,” Kiama said.
Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Odour has since confirmed that the girl died of a severe head injury, due to a gunshot.
Odour said the nature of the wound indicates that she was shot with a bullet at high velocity.
IMLU was forced to move to court on September 12 on behalf of the girl’s family in order to exhume her body. The body was later taken to Kinango General Hospital for a second post mortem.
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