Kilifi police officers suspended over killing of Class Seven teenager

Kazungu Fondo (left) and his wife Ndogo Kazungu (centre) who are the parents of the late 17-year-old pupil looks in as Kaloleni MP Paul Katana displays his school uniform. [GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD]

Police in Mariakani have been linked to the killing of a 17-year-old Standard Seven pupil at Karimani II village in Kaloleni.

Katana Kazungu Fondo, a pupil at Ndatani Primary School in Kilifi County, is believed to have been killed after police shot at a crowd that was, on June 26, pushing a vehicle that had stuck in the mud.

Piling pressure

Following protests by residents, two police officers suspected to have killed the pupil have been suspended. There are also claims that the police department and some local administrators had been piling pressure on the family to bury the victim's body without a postmortem examination.

Kahindi Kazungu, Katana's half brother, denied the police version that the later was a criminal.

“We are saddened by the killing of our brother, with whom I shared the last meal hours before he went missing from home. We reported to the area chief and then to the Mariakani Police Station, where we were given a note to go to the Coast Provincial General Hospital mortuary, where we found his body,” Kahindi said.

Kahindi said the body had a gunshot wound on the back of the head.

According to the family, the boy was an athlete who represented the school in various sporting activities.

Kaloleni MP Paul Katana, who joined the residents in protests on Sunday, demanded for the immediate arrest of any police officer involved in the shooting of the pupil.

The legislator condoled with the victim's parents Ponda Kiwe and Ndoko Kazungu at their Karimani II village at the weekend.

The postmortem examination is set to be conducted today at the Coast Provincial General Hospital mortuary before burial.

The MP claimed that police used excessive force on locals. “The police were in a hurry to kill the boy, but we are not in a hurry to bury him. We are interested in justice,” he said.

Haki Africa programme officer in charge of rapid response Francis Auma gave the police a seven-day ultimatum to take action against the killer officer, failure to which they would dump the body at the Mariakani Police Station. “Enough is enough. Police cannot continue killing with impunity and go scot-free. They have a duty as law enforcers to protect lives and property,” said Mr Auma.

Kaloleni OCPD Kennedy Osando said investigations had started.

"The instruction is to establish the circumstances that led to the death of the boy," Mr Osando said on Sunday.