Safari sexual assault case investigation nearly complete

Police are nearly done with the investigation into the sexual assault case onboard a safari in late June.

A 27-year-old Kenyan woman was allegedly “groped” by two men while aboard a safari boat, which resulted in her deciding to jump overboard over fear of situation escalating.

The case was filed on June 26.

Police, on Thursday, told RaajjeMV that the investigation is nearly complete and that their aim is to send the case for prosecution “as soon as possible.”

There was a lot of controversy over this particular case from the beginning, with two online outlets publishing contradictory stories.

The first one, Mendhuru Online, claimed that the victim was raped while an article published on ‘Mihaaru’ denied that the situation had reached that far. Both publications claimed to have spoken to the victim.

Police have since confirmed that this is not a rape case, but a sexual assault case, and are investigating Mendhuru Online as well. The publication said that the information was provided by former Attorney General Azima Shakoor, whodeniesthis claim.

Two men were arrested over the case the same day, after patrol officers intervened after noticing a scene at the Hulhumale’ jetty. The men, both 39, were arrested based on the information provided by the victim.

While they are to have been intoxicated, police have said that they were not tested for alcohol consumption as this was not reported as an issue to the responding officers.

Police’s actions in the case, specifically the decision to not conduct alcohol tests and the subsequent release of the suspects, had been subject to immense criticism. There are also accusations of political influence, within the institution, given that reports indicate the suspects have links to powerful figures.

Responding to the accusations directed at the institution over the expedited release of the suspects, Chief Superintendent Mohamed Rasheed during a press conference on July 1, stated that the police’s responsibility is to prove criminal action.

As such, he said that the institution will continue to gather evidence and investigate the case, even if suspects are released.

Police had previously revealed that 11 people’s testimonies had been obtained in the investigation.

On July 23, Pauline Nduta Gichuru appointed Riza and Co. as her legal counsel to represent and assist her in all matters connected to the case.