Nairobi (HRNW) Arshad Sharif was shot in the head and killed by police after he and his driver allegedly breached a roadblock that had been set up to check on motor vehicles using the route, a Kenyan local media claimed.
On Monday, Sharif’s wife Javeria Siddique confirmed the journalist demised in Kenya by her tweet.
Following his wife’s statement, the foreign office said that they are in contact with the Kenyan authorities and were trying to get more information.
According to The Star, a Kenyan news website, a senior Pakistani journalist was shot dead Sunday night along the Nairobi-Magadi highway in what the police termed as a case of mistaken identity.
The police said Sharif along with his driver was driving from Magadi Town to Nairobi when they were flagged down at a roadblock being manned by a group of police officers.
Police headquarters said Independent Policing Oversight Authority will take over the case.
A senior police officer confirmed the shooting and added that a comprehensive statement will be released later.
“We had an incident of shooting which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity involving a journalist. We will release more information later,” the officer said.
According to police, at the roadblock, there was a call for police to intercept a car similar to the Sharif was driving following a carjacking incident in Pangani area, Nairobi where a child was taken hostage.
And a few minutes later, Sharif’s car emerged at the roadblock and they were stopped and asked to identify themselves.
They allegedly failed to stop and drove past the roadblock.
This prompted a brief chase and shooting that left Sharif dead. Their car rolled and his driver was injured and taken to hospital.
He later told police he and his slain colleague were developers and were headed for a site in Magadi.