Court Frees 8 Police Officers Who Killed Baby Pendo, Only 4 Juniors Charged
Only four junior police officers will face criminal prosecution for the deaths of Baby Pendo and 39 others during the 2017 opposition protests in Kisumu.
This is despite the fact that 12 police personnel, including top commanders, have been implicated in the case.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) made the judgment on Monday, May 5, citing a lack of evidence as the rationale for dropping charges against the other eight.
Amnesty International Kenya, which was present at the hearing, confirmed that the four junior police officers’ plea negotiations are still ongoing.
“After nearly five years in court and several deferrals and delays, the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided to charge only four junior police officers and not the full eleven, including senior police commanders, in the Baby Pendo case,” Amnesty wrote.
Baby Pendo Case Update:
— @Defenders Coalition 🇰🇪 (@DefendersKE) May 5, 2025
Nearly five years after court proceedings began—following numerous postponements—the Office of the @ODPP_KE has opted to press charges against four police officers with command responsibility in connection with the killing of Baby Pendo and other crimes… pic.twitter.com/eZqLXTIZnf
“Meanwhile, plea taking is currently underway for four junior officers facing crimes against humanity charges.”
The heartbreaking case of Baby Pendo has grabbed the nation since her tragic death, which was compounded by a delay in the settlement of her case in court.
The DPP’s judgment comes months after the Court of Appeal determined on March 21 that the 12 officers should face 47 accusations of crimes against humanity related to the protests.
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“In our ruling, we have said enough to show that despite being premised on an arguable appeal, the applications for stay of execution (taking plea) cannot succeed,” the court ruled.
Justice for Baby Pendo: We are on#BabyPendo pic.twitter.com/3U6yhEziH3
— UtuWetu (@utu_wetu) May 5, 2025
“The applications are bound for dismissal, which we hereby do. We also reaffirm our dismissal of an application by the National Police Service to be made a party to the case,” they further added.
Although this is a significant development in the investigation, the 11th suspect, a retired senior police officer, has yet to be apprehended, according to Chief Inspector Peter Kinani.
“My lady, efforts to visit his rural area, which is in Wajir County, and his other houses did not have any trace of human movement,” Chief Inspector Kinani told the court.
Court Frees 8 Police Officers Who Killed Baby Pendo, Only 4 Juniors Charged
