IPOA says former Pangani police officer Ahmed Rashid to face murder charges

Human rights groups have accused the Pangani Six officers of engaging in extrajudicial killing. [iStockphoto]

IPOA has recommended that former Pangani Police Station officer Ahmed Rashid be charged with murder.

Rashid, who was part of the famous Pangani Six police officers, is accused of shooting dead Jamal Mohamed and Mohamed Dahir in Eastleigh, Nairobi on March 31, 2017.

The two victims, who were unarmed, were killed over allegations that they were part of a criminal gang.

Rashid is also accused of shooting dead one Kevin Gitau in 2017 in an incident that was caught on tape and circulated on social media.

Gitau's family told the media that Rashid had allegedly asked their kin, a fruit vendor, to pay a woman Sh100,000 for a phone he'd allegedly stole from her.

When Gitau failed to heed his directive, Rashid allegedly shot him dead.

IPOA chairperson Anne Makori said investigations indicate that Eastleigh residents Jamal Mohamed and Mohamed Dahir died at the hands of Rashid.

Makori further says that the investigations report has been shared with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for subsequent action.

"We understand that Rashid will take plea on December 8, 2022," said the Independent Policing Oversight Authority's chairperson.

It is said Rashid led a group of six police officers who had been tasked with fighting crime in Mathare, Mlango Kubwa, Pangani and Eastleigh areas of Nairobi.

Rashid was, in 2020, transferred from the Pangani jurisdiction.

Human rights groups have accused the Pangani Six officers of engaging in extrajudicial killings, with a 2021 report indicating that Pangani had the highest number of police-caused deaths in Kenya.