In relation to the extrajudicial executions that took place during and after the 2017 General Elections when he was the Nairobi Police Commander, Police Inspector General Japhet Koome has been sued.
Koome is being sought out for investigation by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), and Khelef Khalifa because he permitted police to use brutal and murderous force against protestors in Nairobi, which led to 33 fatalities.
Chaos erupted after the IEBC in 2017 declared Former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the president-elect in an election that the opposition successfully challenged the victory at the Supreme Court.
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"As stated in the petition, government pathologists confirmed the deceased succumbed to gunshot wounds. However, the suit affirms that not all the dead were present on the streets; some were sadly killed in their homes and businesses," reads part of the petition.
The petitioners claim that after their requests for access to the homicides' investigation records were denied, they turned to the court to acquire additional reports.
The petitioners claim that they wrote the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) a letter on January 24, 2023, asking for information about their responses to the killings.
"IPOA delayed its response until April 12, when they replied that they were investigating only 15 cases, not all 33," they said.
In an effort to get Kenyans justice, the petitioners have also filed lawsuits against the Attorney General, the IPOA, and other parties.
Khalifa claims that on July 26, 2023, he also emailed Koome to inquire about the status of the investigation into the remaining 18 people, but that Koome didn't respond to him until August 15.
"Koome declined to furnish details of the investigation and redirected Khalifa to seek answers from IPOA," he said.
They now want the legal system to assist them in getting the investigative report so they may prosecute the guilty.
