Two officers to face charges over AP killing

Levels of crime has risen in the country. Police had linked the killed AP officer to a series of robberies. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

Nairobi, Kenya: Two police officers who allegedly shot dead an Administration Police (AP) officer and two of his relatives will be charged with murder.

The officers are said to have shot the AP in Kangemi last October.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) made the recommendation, which has been accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The two will stand trial for the killings they had initially claimed were linked to robbery.

The officers shot dead AP Joseph Makori attached to Bomachoge MP Joel Onyancha, and his two relatives Geoffrey Mogoi and Amos Okenye.

"Ipoa concluded investigations and recommended murder charges to the DPP. The DPP concurred with the authority's recommendations that the police officers be arraigned on three counts of murder," Ipoa spokesman Dennis Oketch said in a statement.

FATAL SHOOTING

Ipoa launched a probe into the incident to unravel the circumstances leading to the fatal shooting, and particularly if the officers were justified in their use of deadly force.

The incident happened outside the M-Club and Bar, where the victims were buying credit for their phones.

Witnesses said Constable Makori was shot in the head after a barmaid alerted police when she noticed his police-issued Ceska pistol. He was shot despite identifying himself as an officer.

Makori had escorted Mr Onyancha to the airport as he headed to The Hague and returned to his camp in Kangemi where the incident happened.

Witnesses said the officers searched the AP and when they found his Ceska pistol, one of them took it and shot him in the head with it.

The second officer used his own gun to shoot Makori's relatives. The officers later said they had recovered the Ceska pistol with 11 bullets.