Opposition Chief Raila Odinga has written to Embakasi OCS saying his team has identified the police officers who allegedly fired bullets at his car.
With the help of the public, according to the lawyers, they have identified two officers, with others still at large
In the letter, Raila's lawyers Awele Jackson Advocates said they believe the cops were acting on the command of the Inspector General of the National Police Service and/or the State.
"With malice aforethought, they attempted to commit a felony, to wit; to cause the death of our client, an offence under the Penal code," the letter reads.
Awele Jackson Advocates said on March 29, 2023, between the hours of 1400-1500 hours, Raila was in the Pipeline area of Embakasi South Constituency when he encountered a contingent of armed police officers.
The lawyers alleged that the officers were stationed in the very direction that the peaceful demonstration was moving towards.
“By their very presence at the said location on the material time, it was clear that they (the police) knew or ought to have known that our client and other demonstrators at large had every intention of parading along the said area and ought, therefore, to have provided and/or facilitated their safe passage and ensured order as by law required,” the letter continues.
According to the lawyers, the police officers ‘maliciously and with the clear intention of violently disrupting the peaceful demonstration, indiscriminately’ lobbed teargas canisters.
They claimed that they fired ten live ammunition and sprayed pink-dyed water at their client's convoy thereby provoking mayhem and violent reactions from demonstrators.
“The reckless and violent use of force by the police on the material day is well documented and within the knowledge of the police and the public at large,” they said.
"In the melee, we are instructed that police officers approached our client's vehicle and persistently fired approximately ten (10) rounds of live ammunition at it."
The lawyers said a subsequent examination of their client's vehicle in the aftermath of the attack shows that the vehicle was skillfully targeted with Raila as the actual target.
“In the event, there is reasonable cause to believe that specific officers acting on the command of the Inspector General of the National Police Service and/or the State, with malice,” they said.
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