Kenya: Ahmed Rashid who led most feared ‘Pangani Six' charged with murder

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's most feared police office Ahmed Rashid, who is loved and loathed in equal measure, will now have to face murder charges following the recommendation by the Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji, after a series of complaints about the police officer.

Ahmed Rashid, who has been on the scene for a long, is based in Eastleigh, an estate within Nairobi that is considered a business hub. The officer is celebrated and hated in both Eastleigh and Mathare estates where he operates most of his time.

Most of his operations are technical in the manner that he confronts alleged criminals, arrests and, or shoots them in broad daylight without subjecting them to the rule of law. He has been accused of perpetuating extrajudicial killings in the country for several years.

In one of the incidents, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority concluded the investigation into the death of Jamal Mohamed and Mohamed Dahir Kheri following a shooting that occurred at Eastleigh, Nairobi County on March 31, 2017, The Star reports.

The Authority said it established that the fatalities were occasioned by police action. Guided by Section 29 (a) of the IPOA Act, the findings were forwarded to the DPP with the recommendation to charge Rashid, with murder.

The commission now says the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution has recommended his prosecution after many years of complaints. He will now face murder charges contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the Penal Code applicable in Kenyan laws.

Already, IPOA has moved to High Court in Nairobi and obtained a summons against the crime buster who is supposed to attend court proceedings on December 8, 2022. “IPOA remains committed to being independent, impartial, and fair,” IPOA chair Anne Makori said.

In 2017, Rashid was caught on camera shooting at two unarmed men in Eastleigh. The video that went viral on social media showed a plainclothes police officer shooting at the two as a shocked crowd watched on.

The officer pumped bullets into one of his victims, a young boy, then got another gun from his colleague and sprayed an additional four bullets on the helpless man who was already on the ground.

Ahmed Rashid has been in police service for almost two decades and currently, there are several complaints pending from the police regarding his conduct. There are those who accuse him of smuggling goods and corruption and these cases are likely to emerge once he takes a plea in court.

GAROWE ONLINE