Four Kenyan police officers accused of killing a British aristocrat in 2012 will stand trial for murder, a judge ruled on 22 March.
The trial of Naftali Chege, Charles Wangombe Munyiri, Baraka Bulima and John Pamba over the death of Alexander Monson, son of the 12th Baron of Monson, will begin on 10th May 2021, almost nine years after he died.
The 28-year-old was found by friends unconscious and convulsing on the floor of Diani police station after he was arrested for smoking cannabis outside a nightclub in the area. He died shortly after in hospital on 19th May 2012.
According to High Court Judge, Erick Ogolla, “The accused should tell the court what happened since the deceased was arrested in good health.”
His parents, Lord Nicholas Monson and Hilary Monson, have been fighting for almost nine years to get justice for their son. This breakthrough ends a hiatus in the case.
“We hope at the end of the day justice for my son will be served.”
Lord Monson told The Telegraph: “I think we are all exhausted – the process has been so enervating – but we have to soldier on.”
Back in June 2018, an inquest ruled Mr Monson was beaten to death by police and that he died from a blow to the head with a blunt object.
The accused officers have always maintained Mr Monson died of a drug overdose but reports by pathologists showed he sustained a fatal blow to the head as well as wounds on his arms and injuries to his scrotum.
Police have tried to explain these findings by claiming his cellmates had carried his unconscious body and then dropped him on his head. They argued the scrotum injuries were from oral sex.
A toxicology report ordered by the family also revealed there were no drugs in his system at the time of his death.
At the time of the inquest, Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo said: “His life was cut short by the police and therefore, the director of public prosecution should prosecute the officers mentioned.”
Mr Monson moved to Kenya with his mother in 2008 after graduating from City University in London.
Kirsten Grant
Featured image courtesy of Joao Maximo on Flickr. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
