The shield of the badge has failed to protect a killer in uniform. In a landmark ruling that reverberates through the National Police Service, the High Court in Mombasa has sentenced former Likoni OCS Yunus Athman to life imprisonment, delivering a decisive blow against the culture of impunity that has long plagued Kenya’s law enforcement.

Justice Wendy Kagendo Micheni handed down the severe sentence this week, following Athman’s conviction for the cold-blooded murder of 20-year-old Mbaraka Maitha Omar in 2018. The ruling serves as the centrepiece of a renewed judicial crackdown on rogue officers, coming just days after reports of another officer receiving a 30-year sentence for a similar capital offense. The message from the judiciary is unambiguous: the uniform is a service, not a license to kill.

Abuse of Power

The court found that Athman had abused his statutory duty to protect life. During a botched arrest over alleged livestock theft, the OCS fired multiple shots at the unarmed Omar, killing him instantly at his home in Mwenza Village. The judge noted that the victim posed no threat, characterizing the shooting not as an act of policing, but as an execution. "Abuse of state authority strikes at the heart of justice," Justice Micheni ruled, stripping Athman of his freedom for the remainder of his natural life.

This sentence is a victory for the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which faced an uphill battle to gather evidence against a senior commander. It signals a shifting tide where the "blue code of silence" is finally being breached by forensic evidence and courageous witnesses.

• The Verdict: Life imprisonment for Yunus Athman, a rare and severe punishment for a senior police officer in Kenya.
• The Pattern: This ruling follows a string of recent convictions, including a separate 30-year jail term for another officer, reinforcing a zero-tolerance policy for extrajudicial killings.

The End of Impunity?

For the family of Mbaraka Omar, the tears shed in court were of vindication. For the police service, it is a stark reminder that the law applies equally to the enforcer and the civilian. Yunus Athman walks into prison not as a commander, but as a convict, leaving behind a warning to his former colleagues: if you pull the trigger unlawfully, you will pay with your life.

The badge has lost its immunity; justice is finally blind to the uniform.