The Kenyan police have been under scrutiny for shooting and killing Pakistan journalist Arshad Shariff.
Sharif was gunned down by GSU officers in a controversial situation at a roadblock on Sunday, October 24, which police say was a case of mistaken identity.
As such, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) in Kenya has since accused the men in uniform of recklessly shooting members of the public due to what it says is “personal disagreement.”
“There are several other cases of alleged police fatal shootings of members of the public, several cases of fatal shootings of their colleagues due to personal disagreement,” IPOA chair Ann Makori said.
However, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has jumped to the defense of GSU officers who allegedly killed the 50-year-old journalist.
In a statement on Monday, October 25, the flamboyant politician said that intimidating our junior officers who are out to protect us will endanger our own security.
He said this will instill fear among our junior officers thus not performing their duties and functions to their very best.
“If we continue endangering our junior police officers who are out to perform their duties of protecting Kenyans, we will endanger our security,
“Crime rates will go up, armed robbers will be everywhere and women will be raped in presence of their children and Kenya will no longer be safe,” Sonko said.
He further alleged that Shariff was a wanted man in Pakistan and that the Pakistani killer squad was pursuing him.
Sonko said that the journalist ought to have been killed since he ignored police orders to stop at a roadblock yet he was aboard a car suspected to have been stolen and whose occupants were believed to be dangerously armed.
“The late journalist and his driver ignored a police order to stop and instead sped up which forced the officers to open fire while chasing the car,” Sonko said.
According to Sonko, if the officers could let the vehicle go, it could have caused more harm to Kenyans.
“Na pia mjue hii gari ya journalist ingekuwa na terrorists wa ukweli na ipite hii road block, na waende waue watu Junction Malla ama Galleria Mall, polisi wangelaumiwa na hata kupoteza kazi zao,” Mike Sonko said.
