Slain girl’s kin to lodge complaint

Umazi Zani on August 25, 2014 with Ndurya Zani, a close relative. The family has accused police of laxity in investigating the death of Zani’s daughter. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT

What you need to know:

  • Kwale county commissioner Evans Achoki said on the phone there was nothing to hide.
  • On Monday, Kwekwe’s mother Umazi Zani demanded the exhumation of her body saying the police buried her without her consent.

The family of the primary schoolgirl who was allegedly shot dead by police has accused the officers of trying to cover up her death.

Kwekwe Mwandaza’s kin on Tuesday said they would lodge a complaint at Samburu police station on Wednesday, since Kinango police station were not being helpful or answering their calls.

The girl’s uncle Hussein Zani questioned the manner in which police handled the shooting after the killing of the 14-year-old at Maweu village and her hurried burial by the local administration 16 hours later.

“We are still in shock and puzzled as to why the police and local chief buried her even after our objections,” Mr Zani said.

He called on area chief Samson Chale to tell the family who gave him the authority to allow the burial yet the family had requested that an independent postmortem examination was done first.

But Mr Chale claimed he was a family member and he saw no reason why they should not bury the girl after the police released the body on Saturday.

“I am a family member and the deceased’s mother Umazi and her husband Mwandaza attended the burial,” he said and denied receiving any complaints to stop the burial.

'NOTHING TO HIDE'

Kwale county commissioner Evans Achoki said on the phone there was nothing to hide.

“We have three ways of dealing with this problem. Through internal investigations, the independent policing oversight authority or a judicial inquest,” he said and urged the family to report their complaint to the nearest police station.

On Monday, Kwekwe’s mother Umazi Zani demanded the exhumation of her body saying the police buried her without her consent.

She said her daughter was sleeping at her uncle’s house with her cousins when police struck at 2am. “They lobbed tear gas canisters into the house and sprayed bullets that killed my daughter.”

She dismissed the panga theory used by the police to explain her killing asking how a 14-year-old could wake up from sleep and have the presence of mind to pick a panga to defend herself.

The mother also wondered how her daughter was able to pick a panga and confront the police after tear gas was lobbed in the house.