Police officers charged with murder remanded till December, IPOA says

A Nairobi High Court has ordered five police officers charged with the murder of tout in Mombasa to be remanded in prison after they pleaded not guilty.

This is according to an update by the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA).

The five, Khalif Abdulahi Sigat, James Muli Koti, Joseph Odhiambo Sirawa, Edward Kongo Onchonga and Nelson Nkanae were arrested a week into September.

“The suspects will be held in prison pending the hearing of their case scheduled for December 6 and 7, 2021,” the court ruled.

The five were arrested following the death of Caleb Ospino Otieno, while in custody, at the Changamwe Police Station, Mombasa County.

Reports by the IPOA from the investigations indicated that Ospino died hours after he was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of illegal alcohol at Mikindani on September 18, 2018.

IPOA investigations relied on a postmortem examination that established that Ospino died of multiple injuries inflicted with blunt force.

IPOA got witness statements, including police officers who were on duty the night Ospino was allegedly arrested before prosecuting the cops.

He was arrested at 6 pm and booked at the station as “unknown".

IPOA says at around 9 pm he was removed from the cells and later transferred to the Coast General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.