Kisumu, Kenya — After nearly eight years of waiting, the family of baby Samantha Pendo may finally be seeing a breakthrough in their long quest for justice. On May 5, 2025, a Kenyan court officially charged four police officers with crimes against humanity for their alleged role in the brutal killing of six-month-old Pendo during the violent post-election chaos of 2017.
Samantha Pendo, affectionately known as “Baby Pendo,” became a symbol of state brutality in Kenya after she was fatally injured during a police raid on her family’s home in Kisumu. It was just days after the disputed August 2017 presidential election. Police had stormed the Nyalenda slum, allegedly to quell post-election unrest, when officers reportedly beat her parents and struck the infant with a blunt object.
She succumbed to head injuries three days later while in the ICU — her death sending shockwaves across the country and beyond.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) announced that four senior police officers had been charged with:
Murder
Torture
Rape
Other inhumane acts
These charges mark one of the rare occasions in Kenyan history where security officers face accountability for systemic violence. The court found evidence suggesting the acts were part of a wider pattern of police brutality directed at civilians protesting the election outcome.
The officers will stand trial at the High Court, and prosecutors intend to rely on testimony gathered during a years-long judicial inquest, which concluded in 2019 that the death was the result of unlawful and excessive use of force.
For Pendo’s parents, this development brings a mix of sorrow and relief.
“We have suffered in silence, praying for this moment. It won’t bring her back, but maybe it will stop another parent from going through what we did,” said her father in a recent interview.
As the nation watches closely, the outcome of this trial could redefine police accountability in Kenya — and finally give a voice to one of its youngest victims.
