A Kenyan magistrate who was shot dead by a senior police officer earlier this week has died, according to the country’s chief justice.
Justice Martha K Koome wrote on fight”.
Kiwuti was shot dead by a police officer at a court in the capital, Nairobi, on Thursday after he canceled his wife’s bail because she was absconding.
The policeman, named Samson Kipchirchir Kipruto, was shot dead by other police officers after the attack.
Three of the officers were injured in the attack but are said to be in stable condition.
“It is with a heavy heart that I inform the nation that the Honorable Monica Kiwuoti, Chief Judge of the Makadala Court, has failed in the serious injury caused by a public shooting incident,” Justice Koom said in a statement on Saturday. .
“At this deeply traumatic time, the Judiciary family stands united and calls for sensitivity and compassion as we share our grief.”
Ms Kiwuti died on Friday night after being shot in the chest and leg, according to a Nairobi hospital source interviewed by The Star.
Makadala Court will be closed until Monday.
Kipruto, who heads the Londiani police station in western Kenya, appeared in court for “unclear reasons” at a hearing in his wife’s case, the National Police said in a statement on Thursday. She was accused of receiving money “under false pretenses”.
The investigation into what happened is still ongoing.
Judge Koome said it was clear Kipruto intended to kill Ms Kiwuti.
The events inside the courtroom shocked Kenyans.
Police are often accused of participating in extrajudicial killings, but no such incidents are reported in court.
The judiciary said it would step up security measures and reassure judicial staff and other court users about their safety.
The Kenya Bar Association said in a statement that the incident “is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing trend of increasing threats and attacks against judicial officials and lawyers”.
“Legal disputes can be highly emotional and the risks to judicial officers and lawyers cannot be underestimated.”
The association added that it would work with Judge Coombe “to develop a comprehensive strategy designed to protect our justice system and its practitioners”.
