PBI-Kenya accompanies inquest hearing in the police killing of 20-year-old Nura Malicha

Twitter photo: Equator News Uganda.

In their most recent newsletter, the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project noted: “PBI Kenya accompanied HRDs [human rights defenders] to Milimani Court during the inquest hearing of the case of Nura Malicha, who was killed on 15 February 2015.”

They add: “The Magistrate found a police officer culpable of the death of the 20-year-old. The court has directed the forwarding of the inquest file to the Director of Public Prosecution for the necessary action.”

An 8-minute video of the Magistrate speaking on the case posted by Missing Voices Kenya can be seen here.

While Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi found Police Officer David Rono culpable on July 29, 2021, in the death of Nura in 2015, as noted above, it was ordered that the file be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for “appropriate action”.

PBI-Kenya comments: “[We] see this ruling as a win for justice, even though we express our concern about the long time it took for the case to reach this stage. Sadly, many cases of extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances are stuck in the justice system for many years, which means justice is delayed for the victims and their families.”

Commentary by lawyer Demas Kiprono posted by Amnesty Kenya on the long delay in this case can also be read here.

This past August, The New York Times reported: “At least 834 people have been killed by the police or were reported missing since 2007 — 166 of them last year — according to Missing Voices, a group of organizations that document police killings.”

Earlier this year, The Star reported: “[Missing Voices] says the 157 cases [of people killed by the police in 2020] were a result of 131 separate incidents and that 83 per cent of the cases have not been investigated.”

It then highlights: “A paltry 3.5 per cent of the cases have the alleged perpetrators arrested and 7 per cent are under investigation by IPOA [the independent policing oversight authority].”

The Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project supports the work of Missing Voices, the Police Reforms Working Group and the Social Justice Centres Working Group.