An Inspector of Police has been charged with murder of a secondary school student at the High Court in Mombasa today August 26, 2021.

Mr. Tony Katana was shot dead at Uwanja wa Mbuzi, Kongowea in Mombasa on August 12, 2016.

At the time of the incident, he was 16 years old and a Form Two student at Havards Secondary School.

The shooting was witnessed by among others, police officers on patrol duties as well as some of the student’s friends who had accompanied him to a night wedding in the area.

Today, IP John Otieno who was a Sergeant at the time and attached to Nyali police station, Mombasa, was remanded at Port police station until September, 7, 2021 when he is scheduled to take  plea.

Beforehand, the officer will undergo mental assessment to determine if he is fit to stand trial.

He is currently deployed at Bukura police station in Kakamega Central. 

The unfortunate incident prompted an investigation after the student’s body was discovered and identified by relatives at the Coast General Hospital mortuary a day after the shooting.

Prior to the arraignment, IPOA Chairperson Mrs. Anne Makori noted in a statement: “Section 25 of IPOA Act demands that deaths which are a result of police action or caused by members of the National Police Service while on duty be investigated by the Authority.”

“Consequently and acting on its own motion, the Authority launched an investigation that established the student died of bullet injuries inflicted during an encounter with police and that the death falls within IPOA mandate; to hold police accountable for their actions,”- Chairperson.

The decision to charge was made by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions after independently reviewing the evidence gathered by IPOA investigators.

Mrs. Makori further reassured members of the public that the Authority is committed to being independent, impartial and fair in all its undertakings.