Religious leaders in Garissa have warned the local residents against attributing a tribal or religious motive to the killing of a taxi driver in Garissa by a police officer earlier this week, noting that such intention could escalate conflicts in the county.
Aden Mohamed, a 24-year-old taxi driver, was allegedly shot dead by a DCI officer at the Modika roadblock early Tuesday morning this week.
Speaking on Friday after a meeting between the County Commissioner and a section of Members of the Garissa County assembly, the religious leaders said that an offence of a single individual should not be generalized into a community or religious transgression.
Led by the Garissa SUPKEM Branch Chairperson, Sheikh Hassan Abdi, the leaders are now calling on the youth in the area to stop demonstrations over the matter as the investigations continue.
The leaders further want all political leaders and youths to promote peace in the county and peaceful coexistence among all the residents of the area regardless of their tribe or religion.
“We strongly condemn the act of killing our child by a police officer by all means. A criminal is a criminal. He has no race, no religion, no tribe, and no status in this world. If the said officer committed those acts, he should be charged immediately in a court of law so that the citizens can feel relief,” Sheikh Hassan said.
“Several days have now passed without an arrest being made; however, the county commissioner has assured us that investigations are at an advanced stage and the officer will be apprehended soon. Let us all maintain peace as one people,” he added.
Osman Ibrahim, a peace committee chairperson in Dadaab Sub County, regretted that the peaceful demonstrations that were held to push for speedy investigations into the matter had been infiltrated by criminals who have resulted in attacking innocent citizens and businesses.
“Our son is gone and he is not coming back. It was a single hand that killed him, and that officer must be found, arrested, and charged so that something like this never happens again,” Ibrahim said.
“We will work together with the government, and we do not want any form of incitement against anyone here,” he added.
Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo, on his part, said that following lengthy discussions with all stakeholders, the planned demonstrations in Garissa County had been called off, especially after they turned into destruction of property.
Mwabudzo assured the residents and the community that justice would be served in the matter and the suspect would be brought to answer to the charges.
Yesterday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) said that it had undertaken several actions, including attending the post-mortem examination, recording witness statements, obtaining police documents, securing critical exhibits, documenting the crime scene, and documenting both the police and the damaged civilian motor vehicles.
The authority also called on the members of the public to remain calm and peaceful, noting that it was crucial for the smooth progress of ongoing investigations into the incident.
By Erick Kyalo
