The killing of the senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya was a case of “mistaken identity” and there was no conspiracy involved to murder him, Kenyan authorities revealed in an investigative report on Tuesday.
The incident took place on October 23, 2022, when he was travelling to Nairobi from the country’s Magadi town. According to Kenyan media, Arshad Sharif was shot in the head and killed by police after he and his driver allegedly breached a roadblock.
In a Geo News report citing Kenyan government investigation, the Kenyan report sticks to the original police version that the four guards were looking out for a runaway vehicle and ended up firing bullets at Arshad Sharif’s car when Khurram Ahmed jumped the roadblocks erected by the police. The report claims that the four GSU officers who fired bullets at Arshad Sharif’s vehicle were not drunk.
However, the detailed official report rejects the original version of the police. It was initially reported by the GSU officers that shorts were fired from inside Arshad’s Landcruiser towards the police officers and the police fired in retaliation. The report – carrying fresh details and yet to be made public – says no shots were fired from inside Arshad Sharif’s vehicle. It confirms that one of the four police officers was actually injured in the hand but he was hit by a bullet fired by a fellow police officer who was shooting in the direction of Arshad’s vehicle on the fateful night of 23rd October 2022.
The official report has recommended to the prosecution that two of the four GSU officers were involved in using excessive force by opening fire recklessly and therefore should be prosecuted. According to Kenya’s Penal Code, anyone involved in the excessive use of force could be sentenced to life. It’s understood that the recommendations have been passed to Kenya’s prosecution service but no decision has been made yet on the prosecution and charges. The official report also insists that Arshad Sharif was not tortured before or after the murder.
The report by Pakistani officers, on 592 pages, says the Kenyan police issued contradictory statements following the killing. Kenyan and Pakistani media have highlighted several inconsistencies in the original police version of events.
