INSIDE STORY: The puzzle that comes with cases of extrajudicial killings in Nairobi
Claims of extrajudicial killings in Nairobi are often accompanied by two contradictory versions, that of the family and that of the police.
The media always capture the arguments by both family and police and leave the public to judge, but the problem proves to be ongoing and more young people keep dying.
Nairobi News has pieced together recent deaths in the city that were characterised by how police and the families openly differed on the cause of death.
Samuel Ragira – March 14, 2019
Samuel Ragira, a former student leader at University of Nairobi, was shot dead in Klabuu, a market in Milimani area frequented by university students.
Police said he was victim of turf wars between two gangs fighting over the control of the market.
However, witnesses and family said he was shot by a plain cloth officer who had alighted from a police vehicle.
No one has ever been arrested in connection to the death
A family member who spoke in confidence said that the postmortem report revealed that Mr Ragira was shot at close range.
He said that the only police communication they got was that the matter is still under investigation.
Carilton David Maina- December 21, 2018
Four bullets ended the life of Carilton David Maina, an engineering student at Leeds University, on December 21, 2018 at Laini Saba area, Kibera.
According to the police, Maina was among three others who were mugging members of the public.
His family maintains that Maina was not a criminal and was murdered.
His friend Kelvin Oduor claims they were from watching a football match when they heard gunshots as they headed home .
“We were walking in a crowd after watching Cardiff City versus Manchester United when we saw some police officers who shot towards us and the bullets ended up hitting him,” said Mr Oduor.
No one has been arrested or charged for the murder even as youth in the slum organize gigs after gigs calling for action.
Liban Jamal- August 2018
Mr Liban Jamal was found dead under unclear circumstances.
His family said Jamal was blindfolded from his house and taken to the scene where his body was found in Eastleigh area.
“They took him there and shot him severally, left him and went. The police are killing our sons here in Eastleigh and we need help,” Ms Fatuma Mohammed told Nairobi News.
She dismissed claims that her son was involved in crime.
Jamal was killed two weeks after police handed him a certificate of good conduct. He was planning to permanently move to Canada and join his wife of five years.
Police on their side saidJamal had questionable criminal records.
EXPERT VIEW
Brian Mutoro, a lawyer based in Nairobi, argues that rogue police officers opt for killing as an easier way of dealingwith crime because of their poor methods of collecting evidence.
“Police officers have always tabled evidence with gaps which most of the times see suspected criminals walking scot free. The service should be well trained on how to collect evidence and it will assist in reducing these extra judicial killings,” he said.
He wants the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to invest more on evidence collection and not just making arrests.
He also asked investigating body Ipoa to collect enough evidence and ensure that rogue cops are jailed.
Ipoa recently announced it is investigating 190 cases of suspected extrajudicial killings and 30 of them are in court.
The authority said that it has successfully convicted six cases.