Happy New Year .After a brief festive season, I think we are back to making headlines in 2019. It is hard for any good deeds to make headlines because there aren’t many good deeds in Kenya.
As such, bad deeds always compete against each other to make headlines. Last year was dotted with extra judicial killings withing the police force. A suspect who had been charged with shooting former Garissa Finance Minister also died mysteriously in a police cell. That was 2018.
2019 could be the year when convicted murderers escape mysteriously from custody. A family in Nakuru is crying for justice after a convict in the murder case of their loved one reportedly went missing from police cells.
Addressing the media outside Nakuru Law courts on Thursday, the family led by Mr. Vincent Mathea, said the suspect, Samson Khamari, linked to the murder of their son Martin Mathea, pleaded guilty on December 18, last year.
The accused was reportedly set to be sentenced on Wednesday only for them to be informed that the convict had disappeared under unclear circumstances.
Mr. Mathea says it is shocking that a convict can disappear from police cells in unclear circumstances and is now calling on the police to come out clear on how such an incident happened.
While terming the incident as negligence on the side of the police, the family said police had indicated that two officers who were on duty have been interdicted.
However, Nakuru Deputy OCPD Daniel Kitavi said he had not received any information on the same.
The family adds that their lives are in danger since the convict knows and understands their residential place. The sentiments have been echoed by Joyce Wanjiku, a sister to the late Martin Mathea.