Nairobi, Kenya,
July 19, 2016
A global petition seeks to demand justice for the murders of Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwenda, and Joseph Muiruri
Following today’s arraignment of four police officers who were charged with murder in the deaths of International Justice Mission (IJM) investigator Willie Kimani, IJM client Josephat Mwenda and hired driver Joseph Muiruri, IJM called for the swift justice in addition to increased government efforts to address impunity for corrupt Kenyan police.
“Today, we have four Administration Police charged with murder after a three-week investigation, and that hasn’t happened in the history of Kenya. This marks an important occasion for police accountability in our country,” said James Kironji, Director of Casework for IJM Kenya. “We still believe there are more perpetrators involved in the deaths of our colleagues, and we ask that authorities do everything in their power to bring them to justice. We will not stop pursuing an end to the daily abuse of the poor and vulnerable by the very individuals appointed to protect them.”
IJM has launched a global petition at www.justiceinkenya.org calling for the swift conviction of all involved in the murders of Kimani, Mwenda and Muiruri, as well as the immediate removal of the head of the Administration Police (AP), Deputy Inspector General Samuel M. Arachi.
On June 23, following a court hearing, Kimani, Mwenda and Muiruri were abducted. Their bodies were discovered in the Ol Donyo Sabuk River eight days later, sparking an outcry for justice from local and international legal societies, human rights groups, politicians and diplomats.
Four AP officers—Fredrick Leliman, Stephen Cheburet, Silvia Wanjiku and Leonard Mwangi—were charged today with three counts of murder by the Kenya High Court for the disappearance and death of the three. IJM has called on police to continue thorough investigations of additional suspects in the murders.
International Justice Mission is a global organisation that partners with local authorities to rescue victims of violence, bring criminals to justice, restore survivors, and strengthen public justice systems.
