Human rights defenders have vehemently condemned the killing of a human rights activist Caroline Mwatha.
Mwatha’s body was found at the city Mortuary on Tuesday afternoon.
Police say the body has been lying at the morgue since February 7th despite family members saying that they have been visiting the morgue for the last one week without tracing Ms. Mwatha.
The human rights defender disappeared last Wednesday at her Dandora home and could not be reached through her mobile phone only to be found dead a week later
Police say her body was registered in the morgue under different name.
Ms. Mwatha was a Senior officer at the Dandora Social Justice Centre located at Dandora, Nairobi.
Haki Africa Executive director Hussein Khalid urged Police to launch a quick probe into the killing of the Human rights defender.
[Haki Africa Executive director Hussein Khalid together with his Assistant Salma Hemed (In yellow Hijjab) during press briefing in Mombasa. Photo/Davis Mbunga]
He said that her death could have been triggered by her tireless efforts in ending extra judicial killings in Dandora and other parts of Nairobi.
Speaking in Mombasa on Wednesday evening Khalid said that human rights defenders are living in fear following the extermination of Ms. Mwatha.
“Police should unleash what transpired leading to Ms. Mwatha’s death, this particular incident reminds us of the gruesome murder of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani, his client and a taxi driver in mid 2016,” said an agitated Khalid.
He raised fears that the human rights space in the country was shrinking where gross violation of human rights and extra judicial killings were resurfacing.
“We want a quick and transparent investigation into the killing of Ms. Mwatha, he was dedicated in fighting for the rights of locals within and outside Dandora,” noted Mr. Khalid.
Khalid said that human rights defenders will relentlessly push for justice for Ms. Mwatha.
Meanwhile police have dispelled rumors that a badly mutilated body found at Sagana was that of Mwatha.
