The Kenya Police Service has revealed details about the murder of top Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya on Sunday night.
According to a police statement released on Monday, Sharif was being driven by his brother Khurram Ahmed when they were stopped at a roadblock along the Kiserian-Magadi road by police officers, who then opened fire, killing him on the spot.
“It was reported to Magadi police station vide OB 14/23/10/2022 at 22.00hrs that along Kuenia farm/ Kamukuru marram a shooting incident involving GSU officers had occurred and one Pakistan national namely Arshad Mohammed Shariff aged 50 years had been fatally shot while he was been driven in a motor vehicle registration number KDG 200M along that road when the deceased and his brother Khurram Ahmed were driving back to Nairobi,” reads the police report.
The tragic chain of events began hours earlier, when Douglas Wainaina reported to the Pangani Police Station that his car had been stolen and his son Dancan Kamau was inside.
“It started when officers from DCI Starehe circulated a report of theft of a motor vehicle/abduction vide OB 70/23/10/2022 that one Douglas Wainaina parked his motor vehicle registration number KDJ 700F outside an electrical shop and left his son namely Dancan Kamau inside the said motor vehicle,” reads the statement.
The son was later found at Kiserian’s Olosuritia ACK Church.
When the gruesome incident occurred, Khurram and his celebrated journalist brother Arshad Sharif were driving a completely different car along the Kuenia-Kamukuru rough road in Magadi, Kajiado.
“Before they reached the Kiserian-Magadi road, they found the road blocked using small stones and they decided to pass them,” reads the police report.
“It was then they heard gunshots towards their vehicle directed from the front and rear. They did not stop and proceeded with the journey.”
Khurram reached out to a friend, Naqar Ahmed, another Pakistani national, informing him of the incident. His friend, who lived along the area, directed him to drive to his house.
“On arrival at the main gate, found his brother had died with a gunshot wound on the head which had penetrated from the back of his head and exited at the front side of his head,” the police report read.
“Upon scrutiny of the said motor vehicle, it had a bullet hole on the left side of the windscreen on the side the deceased was sitting, two bullet holes on the rear left back screen, one bullet hole on the rear right door, four holes right side of the boot and one front right tyre that had been deplated. The said Pakistan nationals claim that they are developers and reside in Nairobi.”
The body of the deceased was moved to the Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi where a postmortem will be conducted.
Police have since said that the case was a matter of “mistaken identity”.
