Arshad Sharif: Compensation for widow of Pakistani journalist killed by Kenyan police

A Kenyan court has ordered the payment of 10 million shillings ($78,000; £61,000) in compensation to the widow of a prominent Pakistani journalist who was shot dead by police at a checkpoint almost two years ago.

Arshad Sharif was a television host known for his harsh criticism of Pakistan’s powerful military and political corruption.

Two months later, Mr Sharif’s killing by police in the Kenyan city of Kajiado sparked national outrage and prompted UN experts to criticise both Kenya and Pakistan for the slow response from authorities.

Kenyan police maintained it was a case of mistaken identity, but Sharif’s widow, Javeria Siddiqui, alleged it was a contract killing carried out on behalf of an unnamed Pakistani figure.

On Monday, the Kajiado High Court set aside the ruling that Kenyan authorities had acted unlawfully and violated Mr Sharif’s right to life. The court rightly ordered Siddique to pay compensation, plus interest up to the full amount.

“While loss of life cannot be compensated financially, nor can the pain and suffering that the families must have experienced, we agree that compensation is an appropriate remedy for the violation of fundamental rights,” Justice Stella Mutuku said in delivering the verdict.

The judge also ruled that Kenya’s director of public prosecutions and independent police watchdog had violated Sharif’s rights by failing to prosecute two police officers involved. The court ordered them to complete their investigations and prosecute the officers.

Responding to the verdict, lawyer for Sharif’s widow, Okir Dudley, said: “This is a victory for the family and for Kenyans who want police accountability.”

Sharif’s widow, Siddique, expressed gratitude to the Kenyan judiciary but added that her job was not done yet.

“The verdict comes as a relief to me and my family, but I will continue to work hard to achieve the utmost justice for my husband,” she said.

The BBC has asked Kenyan authorities for their response to the verdict.

According to one report, a 49-year-old man was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser, which officers mistook for a similar vehicle that had been reported stolen.

In a separate incident, police allege a passenger in a car opened fire and officers returned fire.

Like her late husband, Siddiq is a journalist and filed the lawsuit in October last year alongside the Kenya Union of Journalists and the Kenya Correspondents’ Club.

She and her co-petitioners had called for transparency, apology and accountability from Kenyan authorities for what they called Sharif’s “targeted assassination.”

She told the BBC that while she has not yet been able to get justice for her husband in Pakistan, she will continue to campaign for protection for journalists and seek support from the United Nations and the Committee to Protect Journalists.