Dead journalist's family protests case mismanagement

By Faustine Odeke 

RELATIVES of the dead journalist Pius Opae Papa have petitioned the Inspector General of Police and the Director of Public Prosecution to help them get justice.

They accused police and the judiciary of mismanaging the deceased's case file involving the trailer driver and the motorcycle rider who caused his death on 23^rd December 2015.

The relatives of the fallen Observer newspaper scribe are also bitter about the allegations leveled against the deceased that he was inebriated at the time of the accident.

Opae, 26, and a resident of Akolodongo village in Malaba town council met his death after a Kenyan trailer registration number KBR 137G/ZD8394 knocked the motorcycle registration number UEJ/432Q that he was travelling on along the Malaba bypass causing fatal injuries.

After the accident, the driver identified as Matuku Christopher and the cyclist Sebbi Rajab were all arrested and detained at Malaba Police Station before being transferred to Tororo Central Police Station as investigations continued.

However, the cyclist was hastily arraigned in the grade one magistrate's court in Tororo on Monday last week while the truck driver was released by police on grounds that he had no case to answer.

While appearing before magistrate, Sebbi the cyclist pleaded guilty to four counts including reckless riding, causing death by reckless driving, carrying more than one passenger and riding without a valid riding permit.

New Vision could not readily establish the identities of the magistrate as he/she didn't sign the judgment form.

The cyclist was therefore sentenced to caution for the count of reckless riding, a fine of 1.2 million shillings for the count of causing death, a fine of shs 100,000 or two weeks in prison for the count of carrying more than one passenger and another fine of shs 100,000 or six weeks in prison for riding without valid permit.

According to the magistrate, the sentences run concurrently and the accused was given 30 days to either pay the fine or face imprisonment but was set free without payment of the fine.

The magistrate advised the complainant to get copies of the judgment and seek compensation through a civil suit.

This judgment has not gone down well with the deceased's relatives and concerned members of the public who have accused the police particularly the traffic officers who handled the investigations and the court for doing them injustice and causing them more pain.

They wondered why the police released the truck driver and its driver and put much of the scrutiny on the cyclist even when the truck appeared to be culpable.

The ruling has also received condemnation from the church leaders in Malaba who are also demanding for justice.

Speaking during the deceased burial the officer in charge of traffic police in Malaba Doreen Aciro assured the mourners of justice saying the key suspects were in custody.