Today, I am relieved and grateful to share a significant update on a case we’ve been pursuing for almost six years – one that hits very close to home.
To give you the full context of why this case is so significant and means so much to us, let me briefly take you back to when it all began.
On Thursday, June 23, 2016, in Nairobi, Kenya, IJM human rights lawyer Willie Kimani was in court accompanying Josephat Mwenda, an IJM client and victim of police abuse of power. They both left the courthouse together, along with their trusted driver Joseph Muiruri. That was the last time they were seen alive. For days, our IJM team on the ground searched frantically for them. Our experience working with the criminal justice system in Kenya uniquely equipped us to take immediate action in the search for Willie, Josephat and Joseph. But we still could not find them.
On the seventh day of praying, hoping and tirelessly searching, we received the awful news. Willie and Joseph’s bodies were found in the Ol-Donyo Sabuk River, northeast of Nairobi. Josephat’s body would be found shortly after. Autopsies revealed horrific injuries, indicating that they had been brutally beaten and tortured before being killed by a group of police officers and a civilian.
Willie, Josephat and Joseph were well-protected men representing a global organization. If police officers felt confident enough to kidnap, torture and murder them, what hope could vulnerable people have of being protected?
Willie defended Josephat in court because he believed that everyone should feel safe and protected in their communities. He fought to build a safer Kenya.
To this day we have not stopped fighting, and the transformation we’ve seen in Kenya as a result has been nothing short of remarkable. So far, we've made measurable progress in the following areas:
Our IJM team in Kenya worked tirelessly to drive the prosecution of the murderers forward.
The president of Kenya announced policing reforms, and dozens of police officers have been tried and convicted for abuses of power.
Local organizations came together and united to demand change.
Communities have uncovered dozens more cases of police killings.
A petition with over 40,000 signatures demanded accountability for those involved in the murders of Willie, Josephat and Joseph.
That brings us to today, the culmination of years spent relentlessly pursuing justice. On Friday July 22, 2022, three police officers and one civilian were found guilty.
From the highest seat of power in the country to grassroots community movements, the demand for change has been heard loud and clear.
John, this is a victory for Willie, Josephat, Joseph and everyone who loved them. It’s a victory for the thousands of victims of police abuse of power whose stories have never been told. And it’s a victory for the generations of children, women and men in Kenya who are safer today from police abuse of power because we all fought together for the future Willie knew we could create. We appreciate your continued support and for linking arms with us in this significant moment.
In doing the work of justice, celebrations of progress and victory are often intertwined with sadness and grief. Willie, Josephat and Joseph should still be with us today. That grief will never leave us. But we will also celebrate the transformation they helped accomplish in life, and in death.
As you celebrate with us, remember their names. Their legacy is a safer Kenya. Together, our legacy can be a safer world.
Melissa Russell
IJM North America, Regional President
P.S. I shared more from my personal perspective in this blog post.
