•Sniper disappeared on December 2, before his body was discovered on December 16, 2023.
•Police sources said they have identified possible suspects in the murder, including some local workers
Image: HANDOUT
Lawyer Miguna Miguna has voiced his protest over the conspicuous silence of top security officials regarding the murder of Meru political activist and blogger Daniel Muthiani, also known as ‘Sniper.’
Miguna, using his X handle, condemned the barbaric act and questioned the absence of statements from the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Inspector General (IG) on this matter.
“Kenya is a violent society that has been run over by the culture of impunity,” Miguna said.
“On this Christmas Day, Kenyans demand to hear from the DCI and Japheth Koome about the barbaric murder of Sniper,” he added.
This comes barely a day after the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya condemned the abduction, torture and murder of the blogger.
Sniper disappeared on December 2, before his body was discovered on December 16, 2023.
An autopsy done on his body by the Government pathologist Johansen Oduor at the Marimanti Level 4 Hospital Mortuary on Friday showed he was strangled on the neck.
Oduor said Sniper had marks on his neck and he exhibited signs of a person who had lacked oxygen.
He also had fractured ribs and showed injuries on his head which suggested that he was strangled before being thrown into a river.
In a statement on Monday, ICJ noted that the Kenyan constitution guarantees freedom of expression and, the right to seek, receive and impart information.
Calling for justice for the blogger, it added that every Kenyan has the right to criticise and question those entrusted with power by the people.
"We call upon law enforcement to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for Sniper's death," it said.
The examination of the body showed there were no defence injuries thus raising questions on whether he was subdued to a level where he could not defend himself.
Police sources said they have identified possible suspects in the murder, including some local workers.
A senior official said arrests and questioning are expected soon.
"The probe points to some people who had bad relationships with the deceased. This is murder," a senior official aware of the probe said.