New details have emerged in the ongoing trial of Ahmed Rashid Hassan, shedding light on how police surveillance, intelligence gathering, and a notorious gang converged in a deadly confrontation that now sits at the heart of a high-stakes court battle.
Testifying before the High Court, intelligence officer Fredrick Gichuki described how Nairobi Countyโs advanced monitoring system including city CCTV cameras and an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system was instrumental in tracking suspected gang members in 2017.
๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ช
According to Gichuki, on March 31, 2017, a group of young men believed to be part of the feared โGazaโ gang boarded different matatus and were heading toward Kariobangi, raising suspicion among security agencies. โThere was intelligence indicating they were mobilizing with an intention to commit a crime,โ he told the court.
Undercover officers began trailing the suspects, and at 12:00 noon, a group of four entered a building. Intelligence flagged them as dangerous and possibly armed, prompting an urgent response.
โI cannot confirm whether they were police officers at first,โ Gichuki stated. โBut normal police communication systems were activated, and officers were mobilized immediately.โ
The incident took place in Kayole, an area often associated with gang-related violence. โThese Gaza boys were in a public domain. The area had a dense population. It was a threat,โ Gichuki said.
Earlier, the court heard that Gichukiโs office had received a request from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on April 4, 2017, asking for video evidence related to the incident. Gichuki confirmed that the footage was successfully retrieved from the surveillance systems and handed over to Police Constable Joseph Owanga, who was the lead investigator.
He added that the systems were functional, and the footage was certified for use in the ongoing investigation.
The prosecution is relying heavily on the surveillance data and intelligence reports to argue that police acted within operational guidelines. The defense, however, maintains that Ahmed Rashid Hassan, a former officer linked to extrajudicial killings, used excessive force without due process.
The case continues to draw national attention, raising broader questions about gang violence, police accountability, and the role of technology in modern policing.
