Azimio coalition leader Raila Odinga has formally lodged a complaint with the police over attempts on his life, saying officers skillfully and persistently shot at his car on Thursday last week.
Raila, through lawyer Jackson Awele, said there was reasonable cause to believe the specific officers were acting on the command of the Inspector General of Police and the State, with malice aforethought, attempted to kill him.
The shooting took place on Thursday last week around 4.30 pm as Raila and his Azimio leaders were leading demonstrators in Pipeline.
In a letter to the Officer Commanding Kware Police Station, Raila asked the police to book the incident in their Occurrence Book (OB) and he be furnished with the entry number and details.
The Opposition chief said with the help of the public at large, they had identified two officers namely Service No. 88011 Corporal Silas Kemboi and Service No. 226944 Constable Isaac Ndirangu.
“In the melee police officers approached Raila’s car and persistently fired approximately 10 rounds of live ammunition at it. A subsequent examination of the vehicle in the aftermath of the attack shows that the vehicle was skillfully targeted with our client as the actual target,” the lawyer said.
“In the event there is reasonable cause to believe that the specific officers acting on the command of the Inspector General of Police and the State, with malice aforethought, attempted to commit a felony, to cause death of our client,” the lawyer added.
Raila said on the material day at around 4.30 pm, in the course of his procession towards Outering Road, they encountered a contingent of armed police officers stationed at the very direction that the peaceful demonstration was parading towards.
According to Raila, by their very presence at the said location at the material time, it was clear that they knew or ought to have known that he and other demonstrators at large had every intention of parading along the said area and ought therefore to have provided and facilitated their safe passage and ensured order by as by law required.
“Instead, the said police officers maliciously and with clear intention of violently disrupting the peaceful demonstration, indiscriminately lobbed teargas canisters, fired live ammunition and sprayed pink dyed water at our client’s convoy thereby provoking mayhem and violent reactions from demonstrators,” he said.
“The reckless and violent use of force by police on the material day is well documented and within the knowledge of the police and public at large,” he added.
Raila on police conduct
The Azimio leader said the conduct of the police officers against him and the peaceful demonstrators amounted to misconduct, and warranted a thorough probe by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) of the National Police Service.
“By a copy of this letter, the Director of Public Prosecutions is similarly notified for his further action in accordance with the Constitution and the applicable law.
“Please enter this complaint in your Occurrence Book and issue us with the entry number for our record. We look forward to the conduct of speedy and thorough investigations into the complaint,” the lawyer wrote.
Raila’s complaints come just a day after another preliminary report from an independent probe showed that the officer who was captured on camera breaking a media vehicle before lobbing a teargas canister inside used excessive force that could not be justified.
