Identifying bodies of slain officers in Kapedo attack a tall order

Relatives of one of the Administration police Officer comforted by Red cross outside Chiromo Funeral Parlour in Nairobi after viewing body killed in Kapedo. (Photo: GOVEDI ASUTSA)

He had only been in the service for six months and probably had hoped to have a long blossoming career.

He had a passion for the disciplined forces and that is the reason he chose to enlist after completing his university education.

Sadly, Police Constable Ezekiel Chege, 25, is no longer at the Kapedo Administration Police (AP) camp, where he was posted in April, this year.

Instead his body is lying on a cold slab at Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi - another statistic of the police officers killed in the line of duty.

Yesterday, his uncle, Nicodemus Kariuki was at the morgue to identify the body of his nephew who was among 21 officers massacred by bandits at Kasarani in Akoret, Tiaty Constituency.

Mr Kariuki, who lives in Nyandarua, struggled to narrate how the family spent a lot of money to educate Chege.

“This is really a big loss to us because we spent a lot of resources to take Chege to school and now that he was just beginning life, he has met his death. He was a graduate constable,” says Kariuki.

And John Njoroge, father to Kelvin Kiarie, 27, another victim of the slaughter, fought back tears as he recalled the bizarre demise.

bandits’ bullets

Kiarie graduated from police training college two years ago and was looking forward to a long successful career but this was never to be as his dreams were brutally cut short by bandits’ bullets.

He was serving in the Anti-Stock Theft Unit and was attached to Kapedo AP camp.

Battling to hold back the pain, Mr Njoroge said it was sad to lose young people just like that. He said no amount of compensation can fill the vacuum left.

“I wish he was still alive but now he is gone. Taking junior police officers to highly volatile areas is not making sense. They were attacked before they could even disembark from the truck. They still don’t have much experience,” said Njoroge who was trying to hold back tears.

Njoroge is among few families who yesterday positively identified the bodies of their slain relatives. Others however, weren’t as lucky because the bodies had badly decomposed making identification a tall order. Yesterday, families that had camped outside the Chiromo funeral parlour had to contend with the stench emanating from the already decomposing bodies.

The bodies were exposed to the vagaries of the weather for nearly two days. That they lay in the thickets for that long is an indictment on the authorities.

And it pricks the conscience that officers who put their lives on the line for the safety of others had to suffer such indignity in death.

Even after they were eventually collected from the scene, the bodies were hauled onto a truck that was driven for hundreds of kilometres to Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi with the stench filling the air.

Joe Kiarie, a first cousin to Kelvin described him as a brilliant young man who lost his life when they needed him the most.

Mr Joe said they learned of Kelvin’s demise on Sunday at around 2pm and arrived at the morgue yesterday morning to identify the body.

“Kelvin was a very young man who was full of life and very brilliant. We will miss him because he was someone who got along well with all of us. It is a big loss for us,” says Joel.

However, Kariuki hopes that the compensation will be reasonable since these were officers who risked their lives for the sake of peace in the country.

first assignment

“We don’t know what is on offer but we request that the compensation should be reasonable. This was his first major assignment and the last time we communicated with him, he said he did not like the place,” said Kariuki.

On Sunday night, Kenya Defence Force soldiers were deployed to Kapedo just hours after President Uhuru Kenyatta gave the attackers 24 hours to surrender their weapons.

“Those criminals who killed our security officers must be identified and dealt with according to the law,” President Kenyatta, who was visibly angry, said.