A judicial inquest into the death of an Irish missionary in Kenya nearly four years ago has recommended that a policeman be charged with his murder. However, Catholic officials said many questions remained about the killing.
Franciscan Brother Larry Timmons, a prominent human rights activist, was shot several times in the chest following a robbery at his home in Rift Valley Province in January 1997.
The policeman who killed him, Mr Francis Kimanzi, claimed he had fired warning shots into the air. But the inquest found the missionary had been lying on the ground when hit and so Kimanzi should be charged with murder.
Detectives failed to take fingerprints from the scene of the crime. A number of suspects were arrested but none was charged. When summoned, the suspects could not be traced.
The inquiry had established who killed Brother Timmons, but not why, said a lawyer, Mr Mirugi Kariuki, for the Catholic Dioceses of Nakuru.
Brother Timmons clashed with government officials in the weeks before his death. He accused them of extracting bribes from villagers in exchange for ID cards which they needed to vote.
The inquest justice recommended the investigation be reopened. But the Catholic Church would prefer an independent investigation.