NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 4- Two police officers accused of killing a woman in Rhamu, Mandera County were on Thursday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a court in Garissa.
Police constables Dennis Langat and Kennedy Okuli were found guilty of killing Abdia Omar Adan on November 10, 2018.
The incident happened during a mission to arrest her son, whom they had accused of dealing with bhang.
Lady Justice Abida Ali Aroni said she had considered all relevant factors including that the action of the accused caused death.
She pointed out that while Section 205 of the Penal Code stipulates an offender is liable to life imprisonment, the Court has discretion on the punishment.
The two officers were initially arraigned for murder but the court commuted the charge to manslaughter.
This was after considering the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including public mayhem that occurred during the incident.
According to a probe by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), Adan was shot dead during a raid at her home by officers from Rhamu police station.
The sentencing of the officers came just a day after five police officers were arrested and charged with the murder of a man in Kochia, Homabay county.
The killing happened in September 2017.
Police Constables Michael Ochango, Silas Anyira, Bernard Maritim, Steven Owino, and Wycliffe Cheptoo were on Wednesday arraigned at Homa Bay Law courts.
The court also issued a warrant of arrest for the sixth person, Edwin Moenga, who is a former police officer.
According to investigations carried out by IPOA, the six officers committed the act during a raid at the home of Sylvanus Oree Owinji, on suspicion he was dealing with bhang.
What followed, IPOA said, was an altercation that led to serious injury of the victim who was pronounced dead the following day.
“Owinji was pronounced dead the following day at Homa Bay Referral Hospital where he was transferred after the duty officer at Rangwe police station declined to place him in custody due to the injuries he had suffered,” IPOA said in a statement.
In a separate incident last week, a Nairobi court issued a warrant of arrest for four other police officers.
The four officers were formerly based at Huruma police station.
They are set to be charged with the offence of abducting in order to murder.
Under Section 258 of the Penal Code, any person who kidnaps or abducts any person in order that the person may be murdered, or maybe so disposed of as to be put in danger of being murdered, is liable to imprisonment for 10 years.
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