Relief for two cops as IPOA clears them in shooting case

Two police officers have been cleared by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) after they were found not guilty of using their firearms.

In a shooting incident that occurred on April 15, 2019, two men (riders) were shot and injured at Merti, Isiolo County where they were found transporting bhang.

In a statement to IPOA, one of the riders indicated that they had been carrying 85 kilograms of the drug and had got it from a dealer in Moyale.

The officers were found not guilty of the shooting because the two men had resisted arrest which forced the police to shoot.

“That the police officers were justified to shoot with an aim of immobilizing the escaping suspects who were transporting narcotic drugs,” IPOA said in a statement.

IPOA probe

The investigations by the oversight body indicated that the officers had been following the suspects who were transporting bhang and they recovered 36 bales from them.

In its recommendations, IPOA also referred to the National Police Service (NPS) Act, which in part says a police officer may use arms.