Eight years after Leonard Baraka Mramba died, hopes to have people who caused his death face justice have been revived.
This is after a Mombasa court recommended two police officers be charged with causing his death.
Mombasa principal magistrate Martin Rabera found police officers Charles Mwakio and Julia Kimbiyo have a case to answer.
Mramba died on August 15, 2013, after allegedly being beaten by two officers who had received information of him and another person smoking bhang at a nearby building in Kisauni.
The magistrate said the officers ought to have investigated the reports, make arrest and charged the suspects instead of assaulting them.
Rabera further said it was upon the officers to take the deceased to hospital for treatment before proceeding to the police station, having seen his serious injuries.
The court also recommended disciplinary action against police officer Peter Kananu, who received and processed Mramba without giving him any medical attention.
The ruling comes after an inquest to investigate his death was launched by the DPP and IPOA in 2017.
According to a witness who testified during the judicial inquiry, Mramba, in the company of another person, were smoking bhang at a building in Mlaleo area at Kisauni, Mombasa County.
A report was made to the two officers who were in the area checking on illegal power connection by a member of public.
The officers went to the building where they found Mramba and the other person smoking bhang and started assaulting them using an electric wire, the inquest was told.
The officers were uninformed and armed at the time.
Witnesses said Mramba tried to escape the police’s wrath by jumping from the second floor of the building but fell on the ground, where he got injured.
His request to be taken to hospital fell on deaf ears as he was forced to board the police vehicle, which took him to Nyali police station.
The witnesses said despite the deceased’s condition, which required an urgent and immediate attention, he was forced to go to the police cells.
