The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has condemned in which a police officer deployed for traffic management was killed after a motorist dragged and ran over him in Mombasa calling upon the Inspector General to unearth underlying factors to such trends.
IPOA chairperson Anne Makori decried the increasing attacks on law enforcement officers.
“Bearing in mind the incident in Mombasa occurred on Monday, and all avenues for such investigations may not have been exhausted, we recommend to IG that such an inquiry should be broadened with a view of unearthing the underlying factors into a dangerous trend where attacks on law enforcement officers are becoming common,” Makori stated.
The oversight body urged the IG to unravel all circumstances that may be contributing to the pattern of hostility between the police and some members of the public.
“In equal measures, we condemn in the strongest terms possible actions of those in our communities who whenever by the action of law enforcers, result to taking the law into their own hands.”
The Monday, February 27 evening incident involved the motorist trapping the officer’s hand and driving off with his body hanging for almost 200 meters.
The officer was later run over by the rear wheel of the same car and died on the spot.
Police later arrested the motorist and are investigating what they termed as murder.
Police said Constable Julius Marwa of Makupa police station was manning Buxton Junction in Mombasa at about 4.30 pm when the incident happened.
He and his colleagues flagged down a salon car for normal traffic inspection and the driver identified as Osman Jama Abdi was then asked to switch off the engine to enable the officers to check his car.
But Abdi declined to switch off the engine prompting Marwa to try to open the driver’s door to turn off the ignition key.
It was then Abdi allegedly grabbed Marwa’s hand and tried to pull him into his car and accelerated with the officer hanging outside and dragging him for almost 200 meters.
The officer later fell on the tarmac before the car ran over his head.
Police said he also had multiple injuries before he was rushed to Jocham hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The driver sped off but was later traced to the basement of a parking lot at Beach Road Estate.
IPOA reminded the police to observe traffic recommendations during the operation.
