By Kennedy Nalyanya
Nairobi, Kenya – Police Constable Klinzy Barasa Masinde has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Boniface Mwangi, a mask vendor who died following a shooting incident during protests in Nairobi. Masinde appeared before the Milimani Law Courts on Monday after a mental assessment cleared him to take a plea.
The court has given the prosecution seven days to file a bail application, and the victim's family seven days to respond.
In a significant development, Sarah Mwea, the Assistant Director of Investigations at the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), has recommended the death penalty for Masinde if he is found guilty. IPOA has also urged the court to conduct a witness threat assessment for two key witnesses, citing their vulnerability.
Masinde is accused of killing Boniface Kariuki (also referred to as Boniface Mwangi in some reports) on June 17 during protests in Nairobi against extrajudicial killings. Footage from the incident allegedly shows Masinde and fellow constable Duncan Kiprono manhandling the unarmed mask vendor on Moi Avenue before Masinde shot him at close range.
Following the shooting, Kariuki was hospitalized with four bullet fragments in his brain. Pathologists later indicated that his brain may have ceased functioning before his official death announcement over a week later.
While Masinde faces murder charges, his co-accused, Duncan Kiprono, was later set free by the court after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to pursue murder charges against him. The incident sparked widespread outrage and further protests concerning police brutality in the country.
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