The National Police Service (NPS) has come out to deny social media reports that police officers stopped the burial of 12-year-old Kennedy Onyango in Mbita.
In a statement, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome revealed that the police released the body to the family on July 4 upon the conclusion of a postmortem examination.
“Contrary to the misleading reports circulating on social media that the National Police Service has stopped the burial of the late Kennedy Onyango in Mbita Constituency, we wish to clarify to the public that the body was released to the mother, Josinter Anyango Ochieng for burial on July 4, 2024,” said Koome.
The Police IG noted that the post-mortem carried by Pathologist, Dr. Ndegwa indicated that the young boy died due to a single gunshot wound at a long range.
Koome pointed out that a man claiming to be the boy’s biological father appeared with a court order stopping the burial in Mbita and demanding that he be the one to bury him.
“The body was moved to Mbita for burial but upon arrival on July 5, 2024, one Denish Okinyi Abaga claiming to be the biological father of the boy appeared with a court order stopping the burial after he demanded to bury the boy,” said Koome.
Civil Suit No. 0028 of 2024 filed at Mbita Law Courts ordered the police to move the body to Suba Sub-County Hospital Funeral Home for preservation, and the OCS Mbita Police Station complied with the order.
Onyango died on June 25 after he was shot during the anti-government protests in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado county.
On Friday, President William Ruto dismissed reports that the 12-year-old was shot 12 times by a police officer.
The Head of State claimed that the boy was shot by a criminal who had snatched a firearm from a police officer.
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