Six cleared, four charged in Baby Pendo murder case

The long-running Baby Pendo murder case has taken a new turn after the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped charges against six senior police officers following a review of the case.

Only four individuals will now face trial, including John Chengo Masha, who has been charged with murder and crimes against humanity under the International Crimes Act.

The DPP informed the court that it had examined the case afresh and decided to amend the list of suspects.

"In view of the report, the ODPP has reviewed the case and amended the information accordingly," the court was told.

Among the four still facing charges, Masha’s case stands out due to the gravity of the accusations.

Meanwhile, the defence has questioned the transparency of the decision-making process, saying that the details of the amendments have not been shared.

"The nature of the amendments has not been disclosed publicly," the defence said in court.

The police also told the court that one of the suspects, Mohammed Baa, remains missing.

Baa, a retired police officer, is believed to have played a role in the death of Baby Samantha Pendo but has not been arrested since the investigations began. Authorities say he is still on the run.

Police reported that efforts to trace Baa to his home in Wajir County have not borne fruit.

"The homestead appeared deserted, with no visible signs of human movement," the court was told, as officers described how their visit to the location yielded no leads.

The murder of six-month-old Baby Pendo occurred during a violent crackdown on post-election protests in Kisumu in August 2017.

Her death shocked the nation and led to a judicial inquest that found several officers responsible for the fatal injuries.

Following the inquest, pressure mounted for the state to prosecute those involved.

The DPP’s office had initially prepared cases against 11 suspects, including top officers linked to the operation that led to Pendo’s death.