The High Court has sentenced police officers Emmanuel Barasa and Godwine Wekesa Sirengo to 35 years in prison each for the brutal murder of Dennis Lusava in 2020. The ruling marks a major milestone in efforts to hold rogue officers accountable for extrajudicial killings.
Highlights:
- Emmanuel Barasa and Godwine Sirengo sentenced to 35 years each
- The two were found guilty of murdering Dennis Lusava in 2020
- The court condemned the officers’ abuse of power and use of excessive force
- The case sparked national outrage and calls for police reform
- Lusava’s family welcomed the ruling as a long-overdue justice
Main Story:
Five years after the tragic killing of Dennis Lusava, the wheels of justice have finally turned. On Monday, the High Court handed down 35-year sentences to police officers Emmanuel Barasa and Godwine Wekesa Sirengo for their role in the young man’s death.
Lusava was murdered in 2020 under circumstances that triggered public outrage and renewed scrutiny on police conduct in Kenya. According to court records, the officers unlawfully restrained and fatally assaulted Lusava during an operation that lacked any legal justification.
In delivering the judgment, the presiding judge strongly condemned the use of excessive force and abuse of uniformed authority, stating that the actions of Barasa and Sirengo amounted to a gross violation of human rights. The court emphasized that no one is above the law including those tasked with enforcing it.
“The sanctity of life must be protected at all costs,” the judge noted, adding that the sentence was meant to send a clear message against extrajudicial killings.
Lusava’s family, who have been vocal throughout the trial, expressed both relief and sorrow following the verdict. While they welcomed the sentencing, they said no punishment could undo the pain of losing a son, brother, and friend.
“We can finally breathe,” one relative said outside the courtroom. “It won’t bring him back, but it shows that Kenya is capable of justice.”
The case has become a reference point in the ongoing push for police accountability in Kenya. Civil rights groups have hailed the sentencing as a crucial precedent, urging the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to accelerate similar investigations and prosecutions.
In a nation where justice often moves slowly, this ruling is a powerful reminder: no badge should shield anyone from accountability.
