An angry police officer, Sh350 Mpesa reversal and murder
Isaac Lekachuma in a Nakuru Law court on May 4, 2023. He is suspected of killing an unarmed civilian Emmanuel Makokha at Salgaa area in Rongai sub-county, Nakuru County.
A Nakuru-based security guard has narrated to a court how a police officer, who is facing a murder charge, shot and killed a man suspected of reversing a Sh350 MPesa money transaction, after being served with alcohol.
The security guard told the court that the officer was determined to kill the man, despite him being unarmed.
Mr Wesley Kirui a security guard at Salgaa Trading centre in Rongai, while testifying before Nakuru High Court Judge Heston Nyaga, said the officer, identified as Police Constable Isaac Lekachuma, shot the man on the chest killing him on the spot.
The officer,who has since been interdicted, was based at Rongai Administration Police Post.
Mr Kirui narrated that the deceased, identified as Emanuel Makokha, who was being pursued by the officer, had even tried to shield himself behind him in a bid to save his life.
However, Mr Kirui felt his life was in danger when he noticed that the officer was hell bent on shooting towards him, so he decided to slip from his jacket and ran away leaving Mr Makokha with his jacket.
The events took place on the evening of October 2, 2017.
According to court documents, the deceased had reportedly taken alcohol at a local pub, paid and then reversed the Sh350 bill, prompting the owner to report him to the police.
The court heard that a complaint was lodged by a woman who operates a pub at Salgaa that Mr Makokha, who they knew as Okwonkwo, had reversed the transaction of Sh350 for the payment of an alcoholic drink that he had consumed.
The officers told her to inform them once she spotted him.
And on the said date October 3, she spotted Mr Makokha before and alerted the police.
In his horror account, Mr Kirui said he was on his duty at Salgaa discussing the state of security in the area with his two colleagues, when they heard gunshots.
They later saw a man running towards their direction prompting everyone to run for their lives.
According to Mr Kirui, the man followed him and grabbed him from behind. The officer who was running after him with a gun ordered him to move away threatening to shoot.
“This is what forced me to slip from my jacket, which I left with the deceased who was shot instantly. He then pointed the gun towards my direction and fired. The shot missed me by a whisker so I decided to run and hide at another spot,” said Mr Kirui.
Another witness, Joseph Wafula Musumba, who is a brother to the deceased, said he spoke to his brother on that day to inform him that he had sent him some luggage from their mother through a public service vehicle sacco from Trans Nzoia to Salgaa in Nakuru County.
He got concerned when he failed to reach him the following day and when he went to inform his mother, he discovered that she had already received the news of his brother’s death.
A public outcry saw the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) commence investigations into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Investigations pointed to a case of murder which led to the arrest of Mr Lekachuma who was on May 12, 2022 charged with the murder of Mr Emanuel Makokha, the offense which he denied.
The officer claimed to have shot and killed Mr Makokha in defense.
According to the officer, Mr Makokha was trying to snatch a firearm from his colleague which forced him to shoot.
Hearing of the case will proceed on May 11.
