On the evening of March 5, 2009, Oscar King’ara, the founder of the Oscar Foundation Free Legal Aid Clinic Kenya (OFFLACK), and John Paul Oulu, the former vice chairman of the Students Organization of Nairobi University (SONU) who was also Communications and Advocacy Officer for OFFLACK, were gunned down in a mafia-style execution just few kilometers away from State House in Nairobi.
The killings ignited immediate protests from University of Nairobi students, who were outraged by the loss of the activists and the brutal manner of their deaths.
The protests were intense, with students blocking major roads in Nairobi and clashing with police officers. During the chaos, a student named Godwin Ogato, who was pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, was shot by police officers and pronounced dead upon arrival at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Oscar Kingara and Paul Oulu Gunned Down
On the day of the fatal shooting, Oscar King’ara was driving a white Mercedes-Benz (registration KAJ 179Z) along State House Road, en route to a meeting with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) to discuss issues concerning police brutality. He was accompanied by his colleague, John Paul Oulu, alias GPO.
Witnesses reported that a traffic jam, which appeared to be deliberately staged, occurred just before both men were assassinated.
A Mitsubishi Pajero and a minibus blocked the activists’ car while it was stuck in the traffic jam. Two gunmen, wearing identical suits, emerged from the minivan and shot King’ara and Oulu at close range through the driver and passenger windows.
Also Read: Today in History: Idi Amin Expels Indians from Uganda After God ‘Spoke’ to Him in a Dream
The assailants reportedly fired shots into the air to deter bystanders from approaching the scene and ensured that the victims were dead before fleeing. King’ara was killed instantly, while Oulu succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward.
Before their deaths, government spokesperson Alfred Mutua accused the Oscar Foundation of being sympathizers of the outlawed group known as Mungiki. On the morning of the murders, Mutua publicly claimed that the Oscar Foundation, led by King’ara, was a front for Mungiki, a banned criminal gang associated with extortion and violence.
This accusation came in the context of the foundation’s work in exposing police extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, particularly relating to suspected Mungiki members.
Mutua’s statement followed the activists’ submission of critical evidence to UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, which implicated police in the deaths and disappearances of over 8,000 individuals since 2007.
The Oscar Foundation had also submitted a letter to the Office of the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, urging an investigation into alleged extrajudicial executions believed to be orchestrated by the state against individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Mungiki sect.
UN Official Call for Thorough Probe into Activists’ Murders
The timing of the accusation just hours before the activists’ killings, aroused suspicions of state complicity in their murders.
Following their deaths, Philip Alston, then UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, demanded a thorough and independent investigation into their murders.
Alston, who had recently concluded a fact-finding mission in Kenya and received substantial evidence from the Oscar Foundation regarding police extrajudicial killings. He said these murders look like targeted attacks, possibly in revenge for the activists’ efforts to expose police misconduct.
Also Read: Today in History: Gaddafi Captured by Rebels in A Drainage Pipe and Later Executed
He stressed that “the killings need a serious, independent investigation to find out who is responsible and to bring them to justice.”
Alston specifically pointed to the Kenyan police as having the strongest motive, given the foundation’s documentation of over 1,721 extrajudicial killings and 6,452 enforced disappearances, primarily targeting suspected Mungiki members. His call for an international probe was supported by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and various other groups.
However, the Kenyan government resisted this, insisting that local police could effectively manage the investigation. To date, the deaths of Oscar King’ara and John Paul Oulu remain unsolved.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
