Lawyer withdrawals from defending police officers accused of shooting hawker after threats
Keaton said he had received over 1,000 calls and messages warning him to abandon the case
An advocate representing two officers arraigned in court over the shooting of a hawker during Tuesday’s protests has withdrawn from representing them citing threats by Kenyans
Felix Keaton, who was defending police constables Masinde Barasa and Duncan Kiprono, confirmed that he had stepped down from the high-profile case, citing serious concerns for his personal and family’s safety.
Keaton said he had received over 1,000 calls and messages warning him to abandon the case.
“In the interest of my personal safety and that of my family, I have taken the painful but necessary decision to cease all legal representation in this matter,” Keaton said.
He revealed that the threats had extended to his family.
The two officers were arrested on Tuesday evening over the shooting of a hawker in the Nairobi Central Business District (NCBD) during the protest demanding the resignation of Deputy Inspector General of Police-Kenya police Eliud Lagat over the murder of Albert Omondi Ojwang were arraigned in court today .
Barasa and Kiprono, appeared today at the Milimani Law Court, where the Court allowed their detention at the Capitol Hill Police Station for 15 days to allow the Independent policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
“The two will be remanded at the Capitol Hill Police station for fifteen days and appear for the mention on the 3rd of next month,” the Court directed
Barasa and Kiprono, both attached to Kileleshwa Police Station, were deployed to manage the demonstrations when they shot the hawker along Moi Avenue.
Their arraignment came after they were interrogated yesterday by sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The injured 22-year-old hawker, identified as Boniface Kariuki, was saved by protesters and attended to by a team of first aiders in the CBD before being rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital, where he is currently admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
The protesters were demanding the resignation of Lagat, who stepped aside to allow investigations by IPOA.
The embattled DIG is expected to appear before IPOA today after he was summoned yesterday by the authority.
