- The victims were part of demonstrators who had thronged the busy highway to protest the invasion of their farms by elephants.
- On Friday, November 4, nine of the officers were arrested and held at Kibra police station, Nairobi, pending the arraignment.
Image: The Star
Ten members of the General Service Unit are today expected to appear in court to face murder charges over the shooting dead of four people during a protest in Masimba area off Mombasa Highway, Kajiado.
They are accused of shooting and killing four people on June 2 during a protest by a mob over increased attacks by wild animals.
The officers spent their weekend in police custody after their arrest over the incident that happened after the protesters blocked the busy highway for hours.
An investigation by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority has found them culpable for the deaths of the four during the clash that also left six other villagers with severe wounds.
The incident happened when the officers attached to the GSU opened fire at the demonstrators on the Nairobi – Mombasa Highway.
Those who died were Duncan Kanari, Letemir Topoika Yionti, Denis Matheka Mutua and Stanley Ntidu Tereu.
The victims were part of demonstrators who had thronged the busy highway to protest the invasion of their farms by elephants during which a teacher died after he was trampled on by the marauding jumbos.
On Friday, November 4, nine of the officers were arrested and held at Kibra police station, Nairobi, pending the arraignment.
This followed a directive by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions after independently reviewing the Ipoa investigation file.
“The totality of evidence on record suggests that the GSU officers were culpable for the offence of murder contrary to section 203 as read with 204 of the penal code. Additionally, the officers are culpable for causing grievous harm contrary to section 234 of the penal code,” the ODPP said.
“We concur with the authority that the use of force by the GSU officers against the demonstrators was unlawful and unjustified. Therefore, we direct that the officers be charged accordingly.”
The officers are Police Constables Kasim Nunow, Hoseah Chikara, Mohammed Adan, Wambua Kilonzo, Wesley Kipkorir, Boaz Mogire, John Mwangi and Desmond Musyoka.
Others are Inspector of Police Cornelio Nabwera and Corporal Zakayo Kipterio.
The investigation established that GSU officers attached to the M Company had escorted a cargo belonging to De La Rue Company from Mombasa to Nairobi on June 1.
On that fateful day, the officers were travelling back to their base in Mombasa when they encountered the demonstrators.
The investigation revealed that the officers, who were travelling in two Landcruisers, fired 40 rounds of ammunition, before making it through barricades and driving off to Mombasa.
Some 17 spent cartridges were collocated at the scene.
Post-mortem examinations showed that each of the fatalities was caused by a single bullet wound, a bullet head and bullet fragments were retrieved from the bodies during the autopsy.
Then-President Uhuru Kenyatta sent a delegation to the families to condole the deaths.
The incident comes in the wake of the prosecution of nine members of the disbanded Special Service Unit over the two missing Indians and their Kenyan driver on July 24 in Nairobi.
The actions have affected the working morale of the police in general amid rising crime levels in the country.
The officers are accused of abducting the two Indians and their driver along Mombasa Road.
Indians Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai, and their taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania have been missing since July 24.
The two Indians are said to have been part of a team that had come to Kenya to join an IT team for President William Ruto to run the election campaigns.
Police plan to charge them with the crime of abduction and conspiracy to commit a felony.