Police officers in Baby Pendo case banned from Kisumu estates

Four police officers charged in connection with the killing of Baby Pendo and abuse of protesters during the 2017 post-election unrest have been prohibited from entering specific estates in Kisumu.

The High Court issued the directive on Monday following concerns raised over potential contact between the accused and victims of the violence.

Justice Margaret Muigai ruled that John Chengo, Linah Kogey, Cyprine Robi and James Rono must stay away from the estates of Nyalenda, Obunga, Nyawita, and Nyamasaria.

The order was granted after an application by victims’ lawyer Willis Otieno, who argued that the accused should not interact with or go near the victims during the trial.

The four officers were recently arraigned and charged with the murder of six-month-old Samantha Pendo, who died during a police crackdown in Kisumu in October 2017.

The child was among victims of violent confrontations between police and civilians following the contested 2017 general election.

Apart from the murder charges, the officers are also facing accusations of committing crimes against humanity.

They denied the charges, which include torture and rape of civilians during the chaos.

During the court session last week, the Director of Public Prosecutions did not challenge their bid to be released on bond.

The four were each freed on a personal bond of 200,000 shillings, as the court awaits the outcome of a pending bail assessment.

The DPP also dropped charges against eight other officers who had initially been named in the case, citing lack of sufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution.

Justice Muigai directed that a pre-bail report be filed within two weeks to help the court in making a final decision on the bond application.

The case will be mentioned again on May 28.