One of the four police officers accused of the gruesome murder of a police imposter Wycliffe Vincent Owuor, was arraigned before Milimani Law courts
James Ngige appearing before lady Justice Grace Nzioka, denied one count of murder contrary to section 203 as read together with section 204 of the penal code.
The accused person through his lawyer Dunstan Omari, pleaded with the court not order his detention at Industrial Area remand home stating that majority of the inmates at the said facility found themselves in prison due to his law enforcement career and they might turn against him in vengeance.
“The accused was attacked while in Kayole police station by inmates, he is a senior police officer who through his devoted effort in law enforcement many criminals found themselves in prison, my Lady this can put my client in great danger while in custody ” said the defense counsel.
The prosecution had moved the court with an application to detain him for seven more days at Nairobi remand home, a move strongly objected by the defense Lawyer stating that the prosecution’s move is most likely to detriment the accused person.
Omari said that the accused person is a former senior officer of the government and as a result he should be treated with decorum even when his liberty is under trial.
He said that the State should have special cells for such kind of officers where their security is guaranteed.
Further, the defense said that such kind of people should be treated fairly.
However, his objection was futile as the presiding Judge ordered Mr.Ngige to be remanded at Industrial Area as applied by the prosecution.
Ngige is charged with the offence of murder alongside four other police officers all attached at Kayole police station.
The accused police officers were captured on camera executing the said Wycliffe Vincent Owuor in May 2019.
In the video clip, Mr.Owuor is seen kneeling down and raising his hands in surrender but the police officers shot him to death immediately after surrendering although he had no weapon and for that reason not a threat to the security of the officers.
It has so far remained unclear as to why the police officers were so determined to end the life of the robber although they had all the time to arrest him and produce him to a court of law to take responsibilities of his crime.
The police officers deliberately chose to serve the Jugal Justice of sentencing the “criminal ” to death before trial.
Although Chapter four of the 2010 Kenyan constitution recognizes the right to life as a fundamental human right, with the increasing rate of extrajudicial killings in the Country, it is quite clear that right to life is nolonger an absolute right.
