Police executions still begging for answers

By Isaiah Lucheli

Human rights groups have decried the rising cases of police executions in the country at a time when the desire for police reforms is at its peak. Relatives of men executed by police have told The Underworld harrowing tales of desperation, intimidation and harassment in their quest for justice.

The lucky ones have managed to bury bullet-riddled bodies of their loved ones while others are yet to get clues on the whereabouts of their kin. Ruth Wanjiru’s husband, Joseph Wanyoike, met his death in conflicting circumstances in the hands of police officers from Kiamumbi Police Post.

Wanjiru received a phone call from a workmate of her late husband that they had been pursued and shot by police in the wee hours of the morning as they reported to work. Wanyoike was shot twice on the leg and arm before being arrested and taken to the Kiamumbi Police Station still alive.

Gun shot wounds

"When we went to the station, we were turned away and told to search elsewhere. After days of searching, we found him at City Mortuary with additional gunshot wounds on the head," Wanjiru explains.

Christine Kalondu is trying to come to terms with the death of her husband James Macharia, who was allegedly summarily executed by the police at the Dandora dumpsite where he used to gather and sell material for recyling.

"According to colleagues who fled following the police swoop, Macharia was killed alongside a colleague at the garbage site despite surrendering and pleading for mercy from officers who had arrested them," she explains.

Kalondu says people who witnessed the murder narrated how her husband and colleagues had raised their hands in surrender, but the police officers told them to lie down before shooting them in cold blood.

At a young age of 26, Kalondu has been turned into a widow to fend for their two children. The youngest is three months old.

Mary Muthoni is also grieving the death of her husband Paul Mwangi, who was also executed by the police at the dumpsite alongside Macharia.

The mother of six says since the killing of her husband, she has had difficulty in fending for her family.

The story is the same for Rose Njoki whose husband Godfrey Ngugi was arrested by police officers on his way from Dandora and has never been seen two years later.

No answers

"We have searched for my husband in all the police stations and mortuaries in the city in vain. The police officer who arrested him is known but efforts to have him disclose the whereabouts of my husband has failed," explains Njoki.

Pauline Wanjiku is grieving over her two sons, John Kamuri and Peter Irungu, who were killed on December 28, last year, following a dispute over fare.

"According to the information I have my sons boarded a matatu plying the Nairobi route at Kahuro market before a dispute erupted between them and the conductor," she explains.

Wanjiku explains the dispute arose after they protested for being overcharged.

"At some point, during a stop at Mukuyu market this dispute escalated into a physical fight between the two men on one hand and the matatu crew. On reaching Ruiru, the matatu stopped and two people who identified themselves as police officers arrested and assaulted them," she adds.

Denied help

On December 29, the bodies of her two sons were found in Ruiru with gunshot wounds, a few kilometres from where they were arrested. She reported the matter at Ruiru Police Station but she was turned down.

Sam Kahura narrated the ordeal his family has gone through as they tried to unravel the murder of his brother Patrick Ndai. Ndai was arrested and taken to Huruma Police Post but later the body was found at the City Mortuary bearing bullet wounds. The family visited the AG’s office, PPO Nairobi and CID, but with little achievement.

The police suspected to have been involved in the act are still working at the station despite an order by the Attorney General following an inquest.

The AG’s office directed that one of the officers suspected to have been involved in the murder should be charged. However, no action was taken but the family has continued to receive threats.

Just criminals

These are some of the cases that have raised concern over the Government’s commitment to reform the police and bring to an end the extrajudicial killings.

However, Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe disputes the report by the human rights bodies over extrajudicial killings, saying majority of those who had been killed were criminals.

"Extrajudicial killings does not refer to killings during police operations. Human rights activists only look at the dead criminals alone. Police officers are also killed," he explains.

On the Dandora killings, Kiraithe explains that criminals had taken refuge at the dumpsite and they were in possession of dangerous weapons.

"Over 100 police officers have been killed in the line of duty. The human rights activist do not talk about such incidents but when police on duty gun down a criminal with sophisticated weapons, it becomes extrajudicial killing," he added.

He explained that the police had on several occasions gone an extra mile to arrest many dangerously armed criminals, but these has not been recognised as an achievement.

"Police are working under very difficult conditions where they have to encounter armed criminals but they are committed to ensure that law and order is maintained," Kiraithe says.