The High Court has directed the government to pay Ksh4 million to the family of Coleta Amondy Onyango, a high school teacher from Siaya County who was shot dead by a police officer in 2016.
Justice David Kemei ruled that the state had violated the constitutional rights of the late teacher’s family by failing to take action against the officer responsible for her death.
The case was filed by Christine Aluoch, the daughter of the deceased, who sued the Inspector General of Police, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Ministry of Interior, and the Attorney General. She accused the state agencies of neglecting their duty to investigate and prosecute the officer.
According to court documents, Coleta Amondy Onyango, a teacher at Wambasa Girls’ School, was shot by a police officer and later succumbed to her injuries while receiving treatment at Bondo Sub-County Hospital. Despite repeated complaints to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Office of the Ombudsman, no progress was made in the case.
Although IPOA in 2020 announced plans to charge several officers linked to fatal shootings, no action was taken. The family, frustrated by years of inaction, filed a constitutional petition earlier this year seeking justice.
In his ruling, Justice Kemei dismissed the government’s claim that the case lacked merit, stating that the petitioner had demonstrated clear violations of the right to life and human dignity.
“The fact that a police officer committed this atrocity, it was a constitutional duty of the National Police Service to apprehend the culprit and hand him over to the ODPP for prosecution,” the judge stated.
He criticized the state for its “total silence” and inaction, emphasizing that the family had exhausted all other avenues before turning to court.
The Ksh4 million award, the judge noted, would not restore life but would serve as a measure of consolation for the family’s suffering.
