The courtroom fell silent as former Kayole Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Dennis Omunga broke down in tears, recalling the years he spent leading police operations in Nairobi and the 13 officers he lost to gunfire in the line of duty.
Omunga was testifying on October 29 in the ongoing murder trial of six police officers accused of killing Wycliffe Vincent Owuor, a suspected armed robber shot dead in Kayole in 2020.
The case, filed by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), alleges that Owuor was executed after surrendering, a claim the officers firmly deny.
“When the officers arrived, they ordered the suspects to surrender, but the gunmen opened fire,” Omunga testified.
How Ex-OCS Lost 13 Officers
“In total, during the three months I served there, 13 officers were killed while on duty, including two traffic officers who were attacked while on the road,” he said.
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According to Omunga, the fatal shooting in question was part of a lawful anti-robbery operation, not an extrajudicial killing.
He told the court that on that day of Owour’s death, police received a report about armed robbers terrorizing residents in Kayole, prompting them to immediately dispatch six officers to respond to the call.
“I dispatched six officers immediately,” he testified. “When they arrived, they ordered the suspects to surrender. Instead, the gunmen opened fire.”
“When the officers arrived, they ordered the suspects to surrender, but the gunmen opened fire. The officers returned fire, killing one suspect while two others escaped on a motorcycle,” he told the court.
What happened to Vincent Owuor
Omunga said the officers responded in self-defense and later discovered that Owuor was among the suspects.
He added that officers recovered a homemade gun, several rounds of ammunition, and a national ID from the deceased suspect, which were later handed over to DCI officers.
Omunga further told the court that IPOA investigators later visited his office, accompanied by a senior lawyer who had publicly posted on social media that the officer who shot the suspect should face murder charges.
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He also told the court that Owuor had previously been linked to a Ksh 76-million armed robbery in Nairobi’s Westlands area.
IPOA on the Case
The former OCS questioned IPOA’s impartiality, claiming its investigation was tainted by outside influence and failed to account for the risks officers face in high-crime zones.
He accused IPOA of forming conclusions before completing its probe, arguing that the oversight body was more focused on appeasing public pressure than uncovering the truth.
Omunga’s emotional defense painted a picture of the realities facing officers in Nairobi’s informal settlements, where robberies and gunfights are frequent.
“We don’t go out looking to kill anyone,” he said. “We go out to protect the public and sometimes, we don’t come back.”
The trial is still ongoing as the court seeks to determine whether killing Owuor was a lawful police operation or an unlawful execution.
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