Lawyer Nelson Havi has sounded a stern warning to police officers following the prosecution of Klinzy Barasa, the officer charged with the fatal shooting of street vendor Boniface Kariuki.
In a statement issued on Friday, July 11, Havi cautioned officers against blindly following unlawful orders, emphasizing that they are often left to face the legal consequences alone when things go wrong.
“Let the prosecution and imprisonment of Klinzy Masinde be a lasting reminder to police officers that in the end, you pay the ultimate price of losing your liberty and life alone,” Havi stated.
He further noted that once a crime is committed, state authorities often disown the involved officers.
“The President, CS, PS, IG, Lagat and Bungei won’t be there. You will have an imbecile for a lawyer,” he added.
Barasa, also referred to as Masinde, was officially charged with murder on Thursday, July 10. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) confirmed that he appeared before Justice Kanyi Kimondo at the Milimani High Court.
The judge ordered that Barasa be detained at Nairobi Remand Prison pending a mental assessment before his plea taking, scheduled for July 28.
Meanwhile, Barasa’s colleague, identified as Kiprono, was released after the DPP determined there was no evidence to support charges against him.
Boniface Kariuki, a mask vendor, was shot on June 17 in Nairobi’s Central Business District during protests demanding justice for the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody.
Video footage from the protest showed two officers confronting Kariuki before one of them shot him at close range. He remained on life support for nearly two weeks at Kenyatta National Hospital, where doctors later told his family that although his heart was still beating, his brain had ceased functioning.
His death sparked outrage across the country and renewed calls for police accountability.
