Sunday November 7, 2021
Two police officers were jailed for 10 years by the Garissa High court following the fatal shooting of a woman in Mandera three years ago.
Denis Langat and Kennedy Okuli were found guilty of killing Abdia Omar Adan when they shot at him, during a raid at her home on November 10, 2018.
The officers were on a mission to arrest the victim’s son who the police said was wanted for dealing in cannabis sativa (bhang) on the fateful day.
“Lady Justice Abida Ali-Aroni, while meting out the sentence noted that the Court weighed all relevant factors including that the action of the accused persons caused a major loss – death,” the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) chairperson Anne Makori said in a statement.
The court also noted that while Section 205 of the Penal Code stipulates that offenders are liable to life imprisonment, the Court has discretion on the punishment.
Makori said that the two were initially arraigned for murder but the court commuted the charge to manslaughter after considering the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including public mayhem that occurred during the incident.
The officers were found guilty in July in the case that was investigated by IPOA.
The sentencing comes a day after a court in Homabay ruled that six police officers will face a murder charge following the death of a man in the county four years ago after an altercation.
Investigations on the killing of the man identified as Sylvanus Oree Owinji was undertaken by IPOA which recommended murder charge against the six police officers.
They include Michael Ochango, Silas Anyira, Bernard Maritim, Edwin Moenga, Steven Owino and Wycliffe Cheptoo.
Following the recommendations, five of the officers were arraigned at the Homabay Law courts on Wednesday and an arrest warrant issued against one of them who is said to have exited the service in the course of the investigation.
According to evidence compiled by IPOA, the officers had raided the man’s home to arrest him on suspicion of trading in bhang which culminated into his death.
“Mr Owinji was pronounced dead the following day, September 18, 2017 at Homa Bay Referral Hospital where he was transferred after the duty officer at Rangwe police station declined to place him in custody due to the injuries he had suffered,”, IPOA’s Chairperson Anne Makori said in a statement.
IPOA said that the six police officers used excessive force during the arrest of the Owinji which resulted to serious injuries which a pathologist who examined his body ruled to be the cause of death.