Isiolo activist was stabbed to death during a funeral, court told

A land rights activist was stabbed to death at a funeral she was attending, the High Court in Meru heard on Thursday.

Police Constable Patrick Muriira said the gruesome killing of Elizabeth Ibrahim Ekaru on January 3, 2022, allegedly over a land row, sparked protests, with a mob threatening to lynch the suspected killer, Patrick Naweet.

Mr Muriira said quick action by him and his colleague at Isiolo police station helped save the suspect when the angry mob threatened to lynch him.

The officer said Ekaru sustained deep stab wounds on her thighs, hands, and chest during the attack on January 3, 2022, at Kambi ya Garba in Isiolo town.

Mr Muriira told Meru High Court Judge Edward Muriithi that a bloody knife suspected to have been used to kill the human rights defender was found beside the suspect.

Ekaru's body lay in a pool of blood after the late afternoon murder.

Mr Muriira said officers prioritised rescuing the accused after they sensed he was about to be killed by the rowdy armed mob that was also confronting the police.

"We were only two officers and we were limited to saving the life of the accused and our own. We rescued the suspect who had open wounds on his head and face and rushed him to Isiolo County Referral Hospital," he told the court.

Kambi ya Garba Senior Assistant Chief Habiba Hassan recounted how she found the accused lying on the ground with a bloody knife in his hand while the mob was beating him.

She confronted the angry mob and they stopped stoning Mr Naweet before the police arrived and took him to hospital.

The administrator told the court that Ekaru and Mr Naweet had a land boundary dispute and the deceased had approached local elders to resolve the matter.

She said the accused lured Ekaru from the funeral by pretending he was willing to settle the matter, before turning on her.

Ms Hassan said the accused was found with a bloody knife, believed to be the murder weapon, with its sheath firmly attached to a belt around his waist.

The chief said she had known the rights activist for more than 20 years and Ekaru was an active crusader for justice.

"When I went to the scene, I saw a pool of blood while members of the public had pelted Patrick with stones. I begged them not to kill him... The elders had received Ekaru's complaint and were planning to hold a meeting to hear the matter," she explained.

Lead prosecutor Eric Masila said a doctor who carried out the autopsy, a government analyst, and the investigating officer had not testified.

Justice Muriithi fixed the hearing for June 19, 2023.