Tension is rising in Garissa Town following the fatal shooting of a young man, with local leaders accusing police officers of misconduct and demanding swift action from authorities.
The wake of the following day, the residents of Garissa took to the streets on Tuesday following the killing of a taxi driver along the Garissa–Dadaab roadthe MPs from Garissa have condemned the action saying that it was unlaw and uncalled for by the officers.
The victim, Aden Mohamed, worked as a driver on the route linking Garissa and Dadaab. His family said he was shot at Modika at around 2.00 am on Tuesday and accused law enforcement officers of being behind the killing. His death comes amid growing complaints from residents that similar incidents have been reported in recent months.
Garissa Town MP Dekow Barrow condemned the killing, saying, “We are condemning the act and condole with the family as we call the IG and DCI to swing with action.we will not leave this thing on the table, we will carry it and we know the police officers in the ground are trying to cover up this issue.”
He added, “The information we have from the ground is that, the police officers were demanding money from him and after he declined to give and it was unfortunate. This is the kind of the things which happens in our region now and then that young people are arrested and threatened to be implicated being sympathizers of al-shabaab or as criminals.”
The MP further stated that, “If they don’t pay for bribes they will be taken in and handed over for anti-terror police but unfortunately this escalated and the young boy was shot death by the officer and he is known by the people of Garissa and we call for IG and DCI to arrest the officer.”
Lagdera MP, Abdikadir Hussein Mohamed also weighed in, calling for accountability: “We call the government to move with speed and do a thorough investigation and those response should be culpable.”
He added, “Those who have responsibility of doing this investigation are now trying to cover the police officer and this thing has been happening all times.” He added, “The young man was unarmed so why should he be killed? The police officer should be brought to book.”
