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IG Koome Under Fire For Accusing Azimio of Hiring Corpses to Defame Police
Inspector General of Police (IG) Japhet Koome Tuesday accused “some senior members of the society” of hiring dead bodies from mortuaries and claiming they were of people killed during the anti-government protests that took place last month.
Speaking in Nyeri, Koome said that the politicians have been parading the bodies in the media in order to implicate police officers as being behind the killings. He called this behavior “unfortunate” and “despicable”.
Koome also defended the actions of the police during the protests, saying that they upheld peace and order even in the face of provocation. He promised that action would be taken against those who engaged in acts of hooliganism.
This is the first time that Koome has spoken about the protests since they took place. Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga had claimed that at least 50 people had been killed since March, when the opposition coalition announced the resumption of weekly mass protests against the government. However, Interior PS Raymond Omollo said that one police officer was killed and 305 law enforcement officers seriously injured.
President William Ruto also weighed in on the matter, saying that Kenya’s security is not negotiable. He told the Azimio leaders that they owed Kenyans an apology for the protests that led to deaths and injuries.
“It is dishonest for the opposition to pretend to be concerned about the well-being of the people yet they led demonstrations that led to loss of lives and destruction of property,” he said.
Azimio leader Raila Odinga expressed his disappointment at Koome’s statements, saying that the bodies of the victims had bullet wounds and death certificates confirming the cause of death.
“I don’t know what world he lives in,” Raila said in Nairobi. “The bodies we have been burying have bullet wounds on them and death certificates confirming the cause of death.”
He added that in one case, the victim’s neck was chopped off in Sondu, while another was a victim of an arrow attack. “These are real deaths of human beings killed by Koome’s goons masquerading as police officers,” Raila said.
Azimio can confirm that the police killed and wounded many Kenyans, and they will do whatever it takes to ensure justice for the victims and that the perpetrators of these crimes pay.
“We continue to extend our sincere heartfelt condolences to families who lost loved ones and those who were injured,” Raila said. “We thank all those who have contributed to the benevolence fund that has enabled us to extend some little help to victims and their families.”
Azimio is still in the process of gathering data on victims, both the dead and the wounded.
“We appeal to all people of goodwill to continue contributing to the fund, in solidarity with our quest for a free, just and fair country that is governed in line with the Constitution and puts a high premium on the lives and rights of citizens,” Raila stated.
The Morticians and Allied Professionals Association of Kenya (MAPAKe) Wednesday condemned Inspector General of Police Japheth Koome over the remarks. In a press statement, the morticians faulted the IG over his claims labeling them “unfair” to their professionalism’.
“We condemn the statement made by the Inspector General of Police Mr. Japheth Koome because we believe that no mortuary technician in Kenya of today can even attempt to do such a thing,” said MAPAKe.
“The office of the Inspector General is such a respected office to even attempt to lower it to such unimaginable actions. We work very closely with the police service in our day-to-day operations and believe that this position we are taking is very well known to the Inspector General.”
The Association demanded IG Koome to substantiate his sentiments by ensuring anyone culpable faces the law, failure to which he should withdraw his remarks which they say taints their image and profession.
“We demand the Inspector General to furnish both Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority and Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board; the two registering, regulating and licensing bodies of mortuary technicians and the mortuary facilities respectively the particulars of those implicated for investigation and if found culpable, necessary disciplinary actions taken against them,” read the statement.
“Failure to do so, the Inspector General should withdraw his remarks against the facilities as he put it and also the Mortuary practitioners as he also put it in his statement.”
Court extends Paul Mackenzie’s Detention for 47 More Days
Thursday, a court in Mombasa ordered the Shakahola massacre cult leader Paul Mackenzie to remain in prison for an additional 47 days, in what is the longest pre-charge detention in the country’s history.
The decision was made by magistrate Yusuf Shikanda at Shanzu law court, who said the extension was necessary due to the complex and unique nature of the case.
“This has to be the longest pre-charge detention sanctioned by the court in the history of Kenya,” Shikanda said. “The Shakahola saga is one of a kind. It has caused great social panic both nationally and internationally.”
Mackenzie has been in custody since April, when he was arrested on suspicion of leading a starvation cult that killed 427 of his church members. The death toll is expected to rise as the Kenyan government continues to exhume bodies from the coastal Shakahola Forest, which served as the cult’s hideout.
The prosecution argued that the extended detention is necessary as the state cannot bring charges until the government exhumes all bodies and conducts DNA tests to ascertain their identities. It further said that detaining the suspects would prevent them from contacting the 65 people rescued from the cult while also protecting the suspects from the risk of mob violence.
Mackenzie has maintained his innocence in the deaths, and says his only sin is eating while in detention.
His lawyer, Wycliffe Makasembo, has said he will appeal the decision to extend the detention.
“We are disappointed with the decision,” Makasembo said. “We believe that the state has not presented any evidence to justify the continued detention of our client.”
The case has drawn widespread attention in Kenya, and the government has been under pressure to bring the cult leaders to justice. Former prime minister and opposition leader Raila Odinga has called the killings “a national tragedy,” and president William Ruto has vowed to “bring the perpetrators to book.”
The Shakahola cult is believed to have been led by Mackenzie, who convinced his followers that the world was coming to an end and that they should starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus. The cult’s members were ordered to sell their possessions and give the money to Mackenzie. The cult’s followers were kept in isolation in the Shakahola Forest, where they were denied food and water. Many of them died of starvation, while others were killed by Mackenzie or his followers.
The government has launched a major investigation into the cult, and several other suspects have been arrested. However, Mackenzie remains the only person charged with murder.
Millions of Shillings Embezzled in Uasin Gishu Scholarship Scam
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) raided the homes of suspects behind the Uasin Gishu County scholarship scandal on Wednesday. The commission also said it will present the parents’ recommendations to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for further action.
On Thursday, Uasin Gishu Senator and former governor Jackson Mandago recorded a statement with detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) probing the scholarship scam.
The collapsed Finland and Canada scholarship programme has caused uproar and massive protests in Uasin Gishu, with hundreds of graduates affected and their parents taking to the streets to demand refunds from the county government.
The scholarship scam involves the embezzlement of millions of shillings by officials of the Uasin Gishu County Government. The funds were collected from parents for the facilitation of tertiary education in Finland and Canada during the Financial Year 2021/22.
The scandal came to light in July 2023, when parents of students who had been promised scholarships to study in Finland began to complain that their children had not been placed in any universities. The parents also alleged that they had been asked to pay large sums of money to unscrupulous agents in order to secure their children’s placement.
The EACC launched an investigation into the scandal and quickly determined that millions of shillings had been embezzled by officials of the Uasin Gishu County Government. The EACC also found that the county government had failed to properly manage the scholarship programme, resulting in widespread confusion and frustration among parents and students.
Former governor Mandago has been accused of embezzling Sh257 million from the scholarship programme. He has denied the charges and is currently out on bail.
On Monday, a meeting was called between the affected families and the county government of Uasin Gishu, which was led by Governor Jonathan Bii, Deputy Governor John Barorot, and Senator Jackson Mandago.
The meeting was met with anger and frustration from the affected families, who demanded that the county government return their money. Many of the families were in tears as they pleaded with the leaders to help them.
It was at this meeting that a now-viral video emerged of Mercy Tarus, a student who had been affected by the scam, confronting the county leadership. In the video, Tarus questioned the leaders about why they had allowed such a deceptive plan to permeate the county assembly while remaining silent about it.
“Mr. Barorot do you know any anti-depressant off your mind, Mr. Mandago?” she posed.
“Where is Barororot’s child here? Where is Bii’s child? Where is Mandago’s? You are very mean with the truth, you keep lying, you smile at us with a very smooth tongue and a very soft face that looks very innocent but you keep on lying.”
Another affected student said: “It is the money that our parents paid that we are running after. But just come and fight me, I am dead already, it’s only the face that I have.”
Parents and victims of the Finland/Canada scholarship fiasco held demonstrations in Eldoret on Wednesday, marching to the town’s EACC offices to deliver their petition.
The agitated parents and students called for President William Ruto to intervene on the misappropriation of funds that has left them devastated.
The EACC has said that it is committed to bringing the perpetrators of this scam to justice and that it will not rest until the money is returned to the affected families.
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