This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
Extrajudicial killings in Nairobi have become a persistent concern, with families and communities left to grapple with the aftermath of these tragic events.
On March 14, 2019, Samuel Ragira, a former student leader at the University of Nairobi, was shot dead in Klabuu market, a popular spot for university students. The police claimed he was a victim of turf wars between two gangs, but witnesses and his family disputed this, stating that he was shot by a plain-clothed officer who had alighted from a police vehicle.
Despite the conflicting accounts, no one has been arrested in connection with Ragira's death. A family member revealed that the post-mortem report showed that Ragira was shot at close range, and the only communication they received from the police was that the matter was still under investigation.
Another case that highlights the issue of extrajudicial killings in Nairobi is that of Carilton David Maina, an engineering student at Leeds University, who was killed on December 21, 2018, in Laini Saba area, Kibera. The police claimed that Maina was among three others who were mugging members of the public, but his family maintains that he was not a criminal and was murdered.
According to his friend Kelvin Oduor, Maina and he were watching a football match when they heard gunshots as they headed home. Oduor stated, '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.'
Liban Jamal, another victim of extrajudicial killings, was found dead under unclear circumstances in August 2018. His family claimed that he was blindfolded from his house and taken to the scene where his body was found in Eastleigh area. Jamal's mother, Fatuma Mohammed, dismissed claims that her son was involved in crime, stating, '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.'
Expert Brian Mutoro, a lawyer based in Nairobi, argues that rogue police officers opt for killing as an easier way of dealing with crime due to their poor methods of collecting evidence. He suggests that the police service should be well-trained on how to collect evidence, which would assist in reducing these extrajudicial killings.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced that it is investigating 190 cases of suspected extrajudicial killings, with 30 of them in court. The authority has successfully convicted six cases, but the issue remains a pressing concern for families and communities affected by these tragic events.
