The case was unprecedented in the years-long campaign against police impunity in Kenya a record 15 officers ordered to stand trial, accused of a terrifying rampage through a family home.
Never had so many officers nearly an entire station in western Kenya faced criminal charges over a single act of alleged police brutality. The victims filed into a courtroom in February expecting to witness a rare and historic moment of justice.
Instead, they sat in shock as state prosecutors told the court the case was being withdrawn. The prosecutor just appeared and said I am dropping this . They were not even required to plead, said Peter Kiama, executive director of the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, a non-profit that provided the victims with legal aid.