Slain officer buried without 21-gun salute

By Job Weru

Laikipia, Kenya: The family of a police officer who was two weeks ago shot dead in a wildlife conservancy in Laikipia has called for speedy investigations into circumstances that led to his death.

The family spoke as they buried George Mwangi, 33, at his father’s farm in Njoguini, Laikipia County.

Interestingly, Mwangi was buried without the usual 21-gun salute that police use to honour their fallen colleagues.

Mwangi was a police constable attached to the Central Bank, Nyeri town branch, and his death has raised controversy, with his family and a leading pathologist claiming he was executed.

His relatives said they believed the father of one was killed and his body dumped on Solio Ranch. They said Mwangi went missing on Sunday, January 19, and they immediately launched a search.

Post-mortem

On Monday, the family was informed that two unidentified bodies were lying in the Nyeri Provincial General Hospital mortuary. They went to the morgue and identified Mwangi’s body.

“At first I did not dispute reports by KWS and rangers from Solio Ranch that he was killed in a heavy exchange of fire. The body had eight bullet wounds, all on the chest,” said a relative.

Dr Moses Njue, a retired Government pathologist hired by the family to conduct a post-mortem, said the wounds appeared to have been inflicted from a short range.

“They were also inflicted with a very powerful gun and at a stationary target. There were also no remnants of bullets in the body,” said Njue.

Another report indicated the deceased was arrested and then executed. “My son was a police officer who served the country diligently. I am asking the CID boss to help us find out exactly what happened to him,” said Mwangi’s father, Naftaly Nderitu.