Garissa Authorities Contradict Police Shooting in Taxi Driver Death as Protests Break Out
Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo has refuted allegations that taxi driver Sheikh Ahmed Omar was shot dead by police officers on patrol, instead insisting that he died in the result of a road traffic accident while trying to evade arrest.
Mwabudzo also said that the results of the post-mortem examination carried out by a government pathologist showed that indeed Omar died from the effects of the blunt force trauma, which was characteristic of what would happen in a road accident. The examination was done by Dr. Dorothy Njeru, who established that the deceased had suffered severe head and chest injuries.
This led to demonstrations in Garissa town, where tens of youths demonstrated against what they claimed was the shooting and death of the taxi driver by police officers. This resulted in a brief stop in business operations due to the demands for justice by the affected community for the deceased.
However, the police have insisted that the 25-year-old motorist has not been shot. Police said Omar was trying to flee a roadblock along the Nunow-Modogashe road at Modika when the accident occurred, resulting in his death.
Members of the family have disputed this with claims that Omar was shot dead by Ranking Members of the Rapid Depolution Unit who were manning the roadblock. The family has called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Political leaders and lawmakers have also reacted to the situation by urging the investigating agencies to put the matter to rest as soon as possible. This was echoed by the Garissa Township MP Major Dekow Mohamed, alongside other MCAs and local leaders.
