Police sergeant to face murder charges over death of Form Two student in Mombasa

By , K24 Digital
On Thu, 26 Aug, 2021 10:31 | < 1 min read
Ruth Syombua being comforted by Governor Ali Hassan Joho following the death of his son Tony Katana. FILE PHOTO: Courtesy

A police sergeant is set to be charged with the murder of a secondary school student at a Mombasa High Court.

This comes after the Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji agreed with the findings of the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) that found Police sergeant John Otieno responsible for the death of Tony Katana who was a student of Havards Secondary School in Mombasa.

"IPOA forwarded the investigation file to the Office of Director of Public Prosecution with recommendations to charge Sargent John Otieno with murder, contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.

"The ODPP, after independently reviewing the evidence therein, concurred with the recommendations of the Authority and the officer is scheduled to take plea the High Court in Mombasa today, August 26, 2021," IPOA Chair Anne Makori said in a statement dated August 26.

Chair Makori said they had established that police Sergeant Otieno murdered Katana on August 12, 2016, at Uwanja Wa Mbuzi area, Mombasa.

Katana was 16-years-old and a form two student when he was killed.

"The student died of bullet injuries inflicted during an encounter with police at Uwanja wa Mbuzi. The death falls within IPOA mandate; to hold police accountable for their actions," Chair Makori said in the statement.

Katana's body was discovered and identified by relatives at the Coast General Hospital mortuary a day after he was killed prompting IPOA to investigate.