Two police officers are looking at spending two years behind bars for beating and inflicting injuries on three youngsters in Lamu County.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority conducted an investigation into the unfortunate incident, which happened on New Year’s Day, 2016, and recommended charges against the officers; then Constables Abubakar Abdalla Mohamed and George Kimani.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions after independently reviewing the IPOA investigation file, including
scrutinizing the evidence gathered, brought forward the charges at the Magistrate’s Court at the Lamu archipelago.
The court sentenced the officers, Tuesday, February 21, after finding them guilty of the offenses.
In the alternative, each officer was fined Sh100,000 for each of the three counts.
Wrong turn
On a fateful day, Ahmed Godhana was a hopeful bridegroom who was being escorted by his friend Mr Abubakar Bocha, to meet his bride at Moa village, where she lived with her parents.
The journey started at Oda in Tana River County, where they hired transport services with Abderham Bokero as their driver.
The 100-kilometer journey involved passing through roadblocks mounted by either the police or military since surveillance had escalated in parts of the County due to persistent security threats.
As part of traditions by the communities living in the area, betrothal ceremonies take place at night and Mr Godhana was looking forward to a return journey in the company of a new wife.
But on reaching a junction in the Minjila area, the driver took a wrong turn that sent the party straight into the GSU camp.
The sentries there signaled them to stop at a distance, ordered them to approach the gates on their knees and thereafter the beatings started.
The bridegroom-to-be was driven out of the camp unconscious and transferred to the nearby Witu Health Centre, then to Mpeketoni Hospital and finally to Tawfiq Hospital in Malindi, where he regained consciousness on January 4, 2016.
Bocha too was first treated at Witu in a lifeless state and later transferred to Mpeketoni where he regained consciousness while cuffed to a hospital bed.
Their driver was likewise treated at Witu but hours later, he was moved to the local police station and locked up.
On January 4, 2016, the police took him to the courts in Garsen where he was charged with assault, resisting and obstructing a police officer in the execution of duty.
IPOA recommended that these charges be withdrawn.
