Makadara Magistrate cuccumb to injuries following open court gun attack
Makadara Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti has succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained after she was shot by a police officer at Makadara Law Courts on Thursday this week during a live court session.
She passed on today while undergoing treatement at a Nairobi hospital a day after a public blood appeal was made for her.
Magistrate Kivuta was shot in the chest and pelvic area by Chief Inspector Samson Kipchirchir Kipruto, the OCS Londiani Police Station, during an active session at the Makadara Law Courts.
The OCS was shot dead by officers who responded to the incident.
Today, Chief Justice Martha Koome confirmed Kivuti’s demise.
“It is with a heavy heart that I inform the nation that Hon. Monica Kivuti, Principal Magistrate, Makadara Law Courts has lost the fight against the extensive injuries sustained during an open gun attack in Court,” Koome said in a brief preliminary statement.
She promised a detailed statement after a Judiciary leadership meeting convened following the development.
During Thursday’s incident, a senior police officer shot at the Principal Magistrate and three police officers who responded to the incident, causing them varying degrees of injuries.
Judiciary is yet to comment on the status on the police officers. Similarly, the National Police Service had not issued an update on their status.
Koome had promised a comprehensive review of the security architecture around courts to address emerging security threats following the Makadara incident.
In a statement following the incident where an unassigned police officer stormed the courtroom and shot the Magistrate, Koome said the Judiciary will institute urgent security measures aimed at bolstering the safety of judicial officers and court users.
“The Judiciary Police Unit, in consultation with the Office of the Inspector General, will ensure that persons are not allowed to access court premises while armed, with the exception of officers properly accredited to provide security at specified court stations,” Koome declared on Thursday.
