The widow of a well-known Pakistani journalist who was shot dead by police at a roadblock nearly two years ago has received compensation in the form of 10 million shillings ($ 78, 000 or £61, 000 ).
Arshad Sharif, a TV host, is renowned for his outspoken condemnation of Pakistan’s strong martial figures and corruption in politics.
The father-of-five received death threats that he flagged to Pakistan’s top judge, before fleeing his home country to seek safety abroad.
UN experts were critical of both Kenya and Pakistan as a result of Sharif’s killing two months later at the hands of officers in the Kenyan city of Kajiado.
Kenya’s authorities had argued it was a case of mistaken identity but Sharif’s wife, Javeria Siddique, said it was a deal killing carried out on behalf of an unknown individual in Pakistan.
The Kenyan government’s actions on Monday constituted a violation of Sharif’s right to life. It promptly paid Ms Siddique settlement plus curiosity until the full payment is received.
The family’s suffering and pain must have been compensated for in cash, not the loss of existence. However, Justice Stella Mutuku, as she delivered the ruling, said that there is discussion that compensation is ideal solution for redress in infraction of basic rights.
The prosecutor also found that Kenya’s separate surveillance monitoring body and director of public prosecutions had violated Sharif’s right by failing to sue the two police officers involved. Both organizations have been ordered by the court to finish their studies and appoint a new one.
The attorney representing Sharif’s wife, Ochiel Dudley, said” this is a win for the home and a gain for Kenyans in their quest for police accountability”.
Sharif’s wife, Ms Siddique, expressed her gratitude to the Kenyan court but added that her job was far from done.
She said,” This decision has come as a pleasure to me and my family, but I did not acquiesce in getting my husband the most justice possible,”
Ms. Siddique, who was formerly her soon father, is a journalist, and she sued in October with the Kenyan Union of Journalists and Kenya Correspondents Association.
She and her inc- petitioners were seeking clarity, an explanation, and accountability from the Kenyan government for what they called Sharif’s “targeted death”.
She told the BBC that she would continue to fight for the rights of editors and sought the assistance of the UN and the Committee to Protect Journalists. However, she stated that she was still able to win justice for her father in Pakistan.