NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A court in Kenya on Thursday gave detectives 15 days to complete investigations into two police officers suspected of shooting and wounding a hawker during the latest street protests over the death of a blogger in custody.
The officers were arraigned in court two days after the Tuesday shooting on a busy street and under the full glare of cameras. It triggered anger and fury over persistent complaints against police brutality.
The hawker, Boniface Kariuki, remains hospitalized in critical condition in an intensive care unit.
Tuesday’s protests in the capital, Nairobi, followed tensions over the death of blogger Albert Ojwang, who was found dead while in custody at the Central Police Station.
Ojwang was arrested on June 6 in western Kenya for what police called publishing “false information” about a top police official on social media. Police attributed his death to him “hitting his head against the cell wall,” but activists have questioned the cause of death.
Protesters on Tuesday demanded the arrest of the police deputy inspector general, Eliud Langat, who had filed a defamation complaint against Ojwang.
Langat said Monday he had stepped aside and would cooperate with investigators. The two officers at the Central Police Station were arrested last week.
The officers who were accused of shooting the hawker during protests appeared in court Thursday. Klinzy Barasa and Duncan Kiprono were represented by their lawyer, Abdirazak Mohammed.
“There is a difference between public pressure and the law. The public pressure is a political thing, and law is regarding what has happened. I can’t preempt anything, there was no case brought today,” the lawyer told journalists.
The officers will remain in custody until July 3. During their court appearance, they concealed their faces with masks, sparking complaints from activists.
Kenya has a history of police brutality, and President William Ruto previously vowed to end it, along with extrajudicial killings.
Last year, several activists and protesters were abducted and killed by Kenyan police during protests against tax hikes. The demonstrations led to calls for Ruto’s removal.
