IPOA finalises probe over death of minors in post-poll protests

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has finalised probe into the killing of minors during the post-poll protests and forwarded files to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

IPOA was investigating the alleged police killing of baby Samantha Pendo, a minor Stephanie Moraa and University of Nairobi (UoN) students’ assault.

The six-month-old baby Samantha Pendo, died August 15 in a Kisumu hospital after succumbing to head injuries which were allegedly inflicted on her by police officers who were deployed to quell protests in Kisumu over the presidential election outcome.

In Nairobi, a nine-year-old girl, Moraa Nyarangi, was killed in the informal settlement of Mathare after she was reportedly hit by a police stray bullet that tore through her chest.

The police have been faulted in the manner they handled the protesters, several bodies accusing them of using excessive force to quell the “dissatisfied NASA supporters”.

The police oversight body also probed an incident where in late September, anti-riot police allegedly stormed UoN hostels in unrestrained aggression, frog-marching and administering corporal beating to students.

IPOA launched the investigations on September 30 and sought to establish the factuality of the claims and whether the suspects were culpable together with specific recommendations to the DPP.

Once the review of the files is over, the DPP will then direct on the way forward regarding the cases and whether to prosecute and charge the said perpetrators in a court of law.