Police at Nairobi’s Starehe division are on the spot after they released a man who had been arrested alongside six others in Huruma with 450 rolls and 10 kilos of bhang on June 17 under questionable circumstances.
The man, Galano Hassan Yussuf was last week shot dead in Kiamaiko, Huruma by police officers under curious circumstances, igniting day-long protests in the sprawling slums popularly known for goat meat.
Even as the probe into the circumstances surrounding his fatal shooting commence, questions have now been raised on how he was he was released from Ruaraka police station without being charged in court with his accomplices.
Though the six other suspects were charged before Makadara magistrate Agnes Mwangi of Court number three on June 19, the deceased was released under unclear circumstances. Ms Mwangi released all the six suspects on a Sh70,000 cash bail.
All seven suspects were booked at Ruaraka Police Station.
Read: Groups Block Outering Road for Second Day Over Shooting of Man in Kiamaiko
According to court records, the case was registered as CR127/166/2023, Court File number E3718/2023.
Detectives from Starehe Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) raided a drug den near Huruma Nursing Home where they recovered a GIPE weighing scale, an SF-400 digital weighing scale, two daggers, 450 rolls of bhang, 10kg of bhang, seven gas cylinders and a Toyota Noah.
The vehicle K is believed to have been used in trafficking the drugs.
The DCI identified the suspects arrested as Alex Murimi, Woche Sipa, Clinton Odinga, Kevin Kimani, Mohamed Wako, John Chege and Galano.
The six, except Galano, were charged in court with trafficking in narcotic drugs, being in possession of narcotic bhang, and preparing to commit a felony.
Read Also: Protesters Block Roads After Police Fatally Shoot Man in Botched Operation in Kiamaiko
On July 25, police shot and killed Galano in unclear circumstances, prompting protests from the local residents.
Enraged residents took to the streets to protest the alleged killing of the man by police, blocking parts of the Outering Road for most parts of the day.
According to police, a contingent of officers attempted to recover a stolen motorcycle they had been tracking in the area.
National Police Service (NPS) Spokesperson Dr Resila Onyango who had promised to issue a comprehensive statement on Galano’s release and subsequent shooting had not done so.
He was shot in the back of his head.
Read Also: More than 30 Killed by Police During Protests in Past 3 Months – Amnesty International
Galano’s father, Hassan Yusuf, has maintained his son’s innocence, stating that even the residents knew him to be a peaceful man.
According to police, they had gone to a house in the area to recover a stolen motorcycle when the mission turned deadly.
This is after some residents resisted the operation and stoned the officers.
The Executive Director of HAKI Africa Hussein Khalid said Galano was felled by a single long-range shot, clearly indicating that it was intentional.
The autopsy shows the bullet hit his back and exited through the mouth.
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“We have witnessed the post-mortem of Galano Hassan Yusuf and Dr Ndegwa has confirmed that he died of a single shot from the back, the bullet exited through the mouth and fractured the base of the skull,” he told the press.
Galano was the chairman of a carwash and had been called to arbitrate a dispute between attendants and a motorcycle rider who had allegedly refused to pay for cleaning services.
“Yusuf wasn’t there when the dispute broke out. But the police intentionally followed and shot him dead,” he said.
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