Father killed at Kawangware was shot six times - report

By Augustine Oduor

A joint independent human rights report has revealed that Ibrahim Ondego, 46, recently killed together with his son in Kawangware was shot six times by police.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) officials said on Thursday their independent pathologist exposed that the late Ondego’s son, Joseph Nyaberi 12, was shot once.

The two were felled by police bullets about 100m from their Nairobi house as they were going to buy vegetables for sale.

The Commission said the move to hire a private pathologist was a result of consultations between Independent Medico-Legal Unit, Release Political Prisoners, the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the international Jurists Mission.

The group, in their joint report, Extra judicial killings and disappearance, said the killings were part of the escalating cases the Commission has recorded since August last year, when the new constitution was promulgated.

In their report, the Commission said at least 53 killings by the police have been reported at the commission in a span of one year.

It further noted that the deaths are part of some 80 cases of police shooting reported at the Commission within the same period of time.

Of these cases, 17 were non-fatal, some five-death cases reported in prisons and 34 disappearances.

The human rights defenders said the escalating cases go against the spirit of the new constitution that they said emphasises that all government institutions be guardians of Kenyans human rights.

"These violations constitute acts of impunity, lawlessness, unconstitutionality and unacceptable violations of human rights," read the report.

And now, the group has issued a raft of conditions they want met by various institutions to curb blatant disregard of human rights in the country.

"The commissioner of police must, before the establishment of Independent Oversight Authority, institute investigations into cases of extra judicial killings and enforced disappearances," read the report.

The group wants all officers found guilty of violating the law be held accountable.

"We have had cases where police officers are merely transferred and taken back after some time as in the case of Dandora killings," said Peter Kiama, executive director Imlu.

The office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, according to the group, must prosecute all the police officers found culpable through inquests in courts of law.

The report also stated that the Attorney General and the ministry of Justice must expeditiously implement the Witness Protection Program to protect those who have information not only against well connected suspects but also against police officers involved.