By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
22 April 2026 - Garissa leaders have condemned the alleged killing of Aden Mohamed Hassan allegedly by the police and called for the investigative authorities to immediately apprehend the officer.
The leaders, including Garissa Woman Representative Udgoon Siyad and ward representatives, stormed the Garissa County police commander demanding to know how an officer shot the 24-year-old taxi driver.
In a heated exchange, the leaders gave the police an ultimatum to ensure the officer is arrested or they will mobilise the public for protests until the alleged police shooter is apprehended.
The local leaders, who identified the officer as Kyalo, claimed he was transferred from Balambala to Garissa town after fatally wounding another young man in his previous duty station.
“We are told Kyalo, the officer who shot this young man, crossed the bridge. We are asking how he did it without being noticed. This is not the first incident of police shooting in Garissa and we are not going to leave this until that officer is arrested and arraigned,” said Garissa Woman Representative Udgoon Siyad.
The Woman Representative, flanked by local ward representatives, claimed this is the third incident of extrajudicial killings with no one taking the police to account.
Dadaab ward representative Mohamed Abdi Farah said they will not bury the deceased until the government pathologist comes and a post-mortem report is given with the view of finding justice for the young man.
“The deceased comes from my ward. Burying immediately the victims of police brutality has been our biggest undoing. This one we are not going to bury until the investigation is over and the culprits are arrested,” said the Modogashe ward representative.
He claimed the police have turned into bandits, shooting and killing innocent citizens instead of protecting them, adding that the killing was intentional and brutal.
“We demand nothing short of justice. We will continue with the protests until we see that officer in handcuffs and arraigned in court,” he said.
Baraki ward Representative Hassan Geley claimed there was a plot by the police to cover up the killing, saying the suspect has been driven by a police vehicle out of Garissa to an unknown place.
“We want IPOA and the police to produce the firearm used by the officer to kill this young man and that vehicle that they were using. These police have found a tendency in harassing and killing people with impunity,” he said.
Geley claimed police at the Modika station have been intruding into travellers’ phone numbers, harassing anyone found with Somali phone numbers as well as looking into people’s M-Pesa balance.
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“The guns that were meant to protect people are now killing innocent young people out to work for their daily bread,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi, Garissa members of parliament condemned the killing, saying this was not the first incident, and called for thorough and transparent investigations.
Lagdera MP Abdikadir Hussein said police have been harassing and extorting vehicles and have been using the pretext of fighting crime.
“These police officers are known, the vehicles they use are also well known. We are asking the investigating authority to immediately arrest these officers,” he said.
Garissa Township Member of Parliament Dekow Mohamed Barow claimed that it has been a trend for the police to threaten and arrest locals and if they do not cooperate they will face terrorism charges.
“We have information that if you do not cooperate they hand you over to anti-terror who will profile you and deal with you like a terrorist,” said the lawmaker.
The MP said the officer was identified by other taxi drivers who were with the deceased during the incident, a trend he said should stop, and the officer involved should immediately be investigated and apprehended.
The Garissa lawmaker also claimed the Garissa police officers are in a cover-up plot and have been transferred to Nairobi.
The deceased, according to family members, has left behind an expectant wife after losing his first child during childbirth.
Speaking to the press at his office, North Eastern Regional Police Commander Nzioka Matasi said they have handed over the case to IPOA to investigate, adding that they have given them the necessary support to ensure justice is found.
“Our officers were on patrol and a young man was shot. IPOA has taken over the investigation. The allegation of cover-up is not there because it is IPOA that is doing the investigation,” he said.