By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
24 December 2025 - Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo on Wednesday said allegations that a taxi driver was fatally shot by police are unfounded, citing an autopsy that indicates the death resulted from a car accident.
Ahmed Sheikh Omar died in controversial circumstances with family members and local leaders claiming he was shot dead by police officers stationed at Modika, however the police strongly defended such claims.
Addressing journalists at his office Mr Mwabudzo said the police had nothing to do with the death of the taxi driver except that he made a sharp U-turn when he saw them.
He said on request by the family of the deceased an autopsy was conducted by a government pathologist Dr Dorothey Njeru witnessed by members of security committees and family members' representatives.
“The autopsy revealed that the death was caused by head and chest injury due to blunt force trauma consistent with road crash, with this we wish to clarify that allegations the deceased was shot by police as false,” said the commissioner.
Mwabudzo also clarified that there is no Rapid Deployment Unit at Modika but border Patrol units.
He called out locals and leaders for fueling rumours. He said that they raised alarm with allegations which were untrue.
The county boss described witnesses who said they saw the shooting as fake and liars, adding that they won’t allow anyone to instill fear and anxiety into the community members.
Such incidents he said raises a lot of anger and animosity against police officers whom he said work under difficult circumstances serving the public.
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“The law enforcement agencies are law abiding citizens. We are here to serve the people. We are not here to kill anyone. We are offering our services to all people in Garissa and we are not going to relent on that,” he told journalists.
He urged locals to comply with instructions with the police, noting that when one is stopped they will be brought to the station and processed if there is any offence.
On Monday, leaders including Garissa Township MP Dekow Mohamed, former Lagdera Mp Mohamed Hire and former Garissa women representative Shukran Gure and other leaders demanded immediate arrest and prosecution of officers involved.
Mr Hire said he knew the deceased personally and he had no criminal record but doing genuine taxi business terming a sad day as his life has been cut short but officers.
Describing the officers as trigger happy, the former MP wondered why they would kill an innocent man out to feed his family, disputing police claims that the deceased died in an accident.
“They killed him and recorded that he died over accident when bullet wounds on his head are very clear. The public and witnesses have stated that they shot him. If they had any issue with him, they would have deflated the tyres to immobilise the vehicle. Why would they kill him,” posed Mr Hire in an emotional press briefing.
He called on Director of Criminal Investigation Mohamed Amin and Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to speedily investigate and explain why that young man was killed.
