Nairobi — The Independent Medico-Legal Unit, a human rights group has expressed its dissatisfaction over the delay by the courts to prosecute Pangani cop Ahmed Rashid who is facing murder charges.
Rashid is accused of killing Jamal Mohamed and Mohamed Dahir Kheri on 4th Eastleigh Street, 1st Avenue, on March 31, 2017.
The statement from IMLU comes after the Milimani Law Courts deferred the plea hearing against the Pangani-based crime buster.
The rights lobby challenged the country’s judicial system to fast track cases of police brutality for the sake of justice to the victims.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. It’s unacceptable that cases of police brutality are taking years. The victims and their families deserve closure and accountability. The justice system needs to prioritize these cases and ensure that justice is served swiftly,” IMLU said Wednesday.
The case against Rashid will be mentioned on March 29, 2023 where the court is expected to issue directions on the matter.
High court judge Diana Mochache postponed the plea taking against Rashid to allow her address issues raised by parties.
The matter was coming up for the officer to be charged but his lawyer Danstan Omari raised an issue of jurisdiction which he said the court had not addressed before plea taking.
The file was previously handled by Justice Kanyi Kimondo who handed it over to his colleague to handle the matter.
On March 2, a section of the members of the public staged demonstrations at the Milimani Law Courts protesting the prosecution of Rashid.