By Lauryne Akoth
The hearing of the murder case against ex-cop Ahmed Rashid kicked off today at the Kibera Law Courts, 7 years after the murder of the two teenagers.
Rashid, who was working as a police officer at the Pangani Police Station is on trial for the murder of two teenagers, Jamal Mohammed and Mohammed Dhair Kheri. The two were gunned down by Rashid on 31st March 2017, at Amal Plaza in Eastleigh, Nairobi.
Justice Diana Kavedza will be presiding over the case. The trial kicked off with the first witness testifying in a closed hearing with the judge in her chambers. The prosecution today presented two witnesses to testify against Rashid.
The pre-trial conference revealed that the prosecution is planning on presenting a total of 25 witnesses to testify against Rashid. The prosecution also stated that the trial will begin with the presentation of 12 witnesses on the 15th, 25th, and 26th of March 2024.
Speaking during the pretrial conference, Justice Kavedza noted that she would not tolerate any drama in court, only serious arguments.
In his tenure as a police officer, Rashid and his crime-fighting team dubbed the Pangani Six were accused of extra-judicial killings. Their methods of fighting crime in Eastleigh were also controversial as Rashid didn’t always play by the book.
Rashid and his team were engaged in combating crime in Eastleigh. At that time, a gang known as “Superpower” was wreaking havoc, terrorizing residents by robbing them at gunpoint and assaulting them with knives.
Videos of Rashid shooting the two teenagers made rounds on social media. According to a documentary on Rashid by BBC, Rashid stated that the two teenagers were members of the Superpower gang terrorizing locals in Eastleigh.
Rashid informed a BBC reporter that Mohammed Dhair instigated him to take his life. This provocation stemmed from Dhair posing for a photo while wearing a police jacket that once belonged to Rashid’s late friend, a slain police officer named Abdi Azziz. Rashid attributed the responsibility for Azziz’s murder to Dhair.
Rashid received both admiration and criticism from various quarters. Many residents of Eastleigh commended him for his efforts in reducing crime, while organizations like the Kenya Human Rights Commission(KHRC) condemned his use of extreme methods in dealing with robbery cases.
Just last year, residents of Eastleigh and its surrounding areas staged protests urging for Rashid’s reinstatement. They pointed out that since his departure, incidents of insecurity had surged in areas including Eastleigh, Lango Kubwa, Pangani, and sections of Mathare.
Rashid had moved to court arguing that the decision made by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to charge him with the murder of the two teenagers was unjust and biased. He claimed that he was not given a fair chance to defend himself against the allegations, alleging unlawfulness and discrimination in the process.
Via his lawyer Danstan Omari, Rashid submitted a request to the then ODPP Noordin Haji, urging a review of his decision endorsing murder charges proposed by IPOA. However, the petition was dismissed. Rashid pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.