How state inaction on coroners law fuels impunity in police killings

High court Judge Lawrence Mugambi follows proceedings during the hearing of petitions challenging the removal of Chief Justice Martha Koome and six Supreme Court judges at a Milimani court on Friday, May 16, 2025. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

The government’s continued refusal to implement the National Coroners Service Act, passed in 2017, is significantly hindering investigations and prosecutions of police officers implicated in extrajudicial killings

The latest effort to compel the government to operationalise the Act was a case filed in court by three petitioners two weeks ago, to pave the way for establishing an independent National Coroners Service, aims to investigate unnatural or unexplained deaths and ensure accountability. Yet, eight years later, the law remains dormant. This delay persists despite mounting cases of police brutality, enforced disappearances, and deaths under mysterious circumstances.