The killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in October last year was a well-planned murder, which left both Pakistan and Kenya looking at each other suspiciously, NTV Kenya reported on Monday.

“One year after the gruesome murder of celebrated Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, little to near zero effort has been made to nail his killers,” the Kenyan news channel said in its investigation into the “assassination” of Sharif.

Sharif was shot dead along the Nairobi-Magadi highway on October 23 night in a case of “mistaken identity,” the Kenyan police said. Later the National Police Service Kenya admitted that a police officer shot Sharif dead.

But former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko had claimed that the Kenyan police were tricked into shooting the journalist, who they thought was involved in a motor vehicle theft.

In October this year, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar sought facilitation from Kenyan President William Ruto over the finalisation of the investigation into Sharif’s murder.

“NTV can now report that the death of the journalist, who was on the run, was not an accident,” the Kenyan news channel said and added that it was a “well-planned murder” that left both countries looking at each other “suspiciously”. It claimed that neither Kenya nor Pakistan, has committed to unravelling the murder.

NTV claimed neither Kenya nor Pakistan, has committed to unravelling the murder.

The investigation also relies on police photographs taken during the early stages of Sharif’s murder investigation and the search led by special projects and investigations reporter Brian Obuya into the murder.

According to Obuya, it was still not clear whether the journalist was killed in the car his body was found in or if he was killed elsewhere and his body placed in the car.

Obuya said the bullet that hit Sharif had to pass through the rear hatch of the vehicle and seats before going through Sharif’s body. It must have been a sballistic bullestic, he said.

Communication procedure was ‘very wrong’

While expressing concerns over the police reports, security expert George Musamali in the report said that the communication procedure was “very wrong” as he wondered the jurisdiction of police stations to order the one that fell under the limits of the area where Sharif was killed.

“Basically Kiserian is in the Rift Valley and if you look at the police communication, this communication supposed to have come from the regional commander Nairobi region requesting assistance from regional commander of Rift Valley and the regional commander of Rift Valley should have called Magadi, Kiserian Police Station, giving instructions and then from Kiserian they are supposed to have called Magadi Police Station, not GHU training camp.

Information for GHU to help should have come from the regional commander Nairobi to the commandant GHU who should have equally instructed the GHU training school in Embakasi to give instructions to his officers in Magadi and this is open communication that is supposed to be shared out.

The fact that a sergeant call from Pangani to Kiserian and then someone from Kiserian called a chief inspector in Magadi to put up a makeshift roadblock cause a lot to question. That is not normal police procedure. It was variant procedural that is why we are now questioning the circumstances under which Arshad was brought down.“