Application to have bodies of Kianjokoma brothers exhumed certified as urgent

The High Court has certified as urgent an application by six police officers to have bodies of the two brothers who were killed in Kianjokoma, Embu County exhumed.

Justice Antony Mrima on Friday further directed that the matter be mentioned on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 for further directions.

The six officers; Benson Mbuthia, Consolota Kariuki, Nicholas Cheruiyot, Martin Wanyama, Lilian Cherono and James Mwanikiwere, want the court to order that an inquest be done first before any charges are preferred against them.

“When postmortem on the cause of death of the two deceased brothers Benson Njiru and Emmanuel Ndwiga was conducted, the petitioners chosen pathologists were not present… this the prejudice of having a post mortem report procured by the respondents,” reads the court papers filed through their lawyer Danstan Omari on Thursday.

It is their argument that while being ferried together with others and in the same police vehicle, the two brothers “in a suicidal act while escaping lawful custody jumped out of the moving police vehicle thus succumbing to injuries.”

The six officers have since been taken to Mathare hospital for mental assessment.

The six accused, who were detained at Capitol Hill police station to allow police officers complete investigations, also want to be released on bail pending conclusion of an inquest in respect of the death of the two brothers.