John Paul Oulu

See also: Oscar Kamau Kingara

George Paul Oulu also known as Oulu GPO (died March 5, 2009) was a Kenyan human rights activist and a former Vice Chairman of the Students Organization of Nairobi University (SONU); the representative student body at the University of Nairobi.^[1] His 2009 assassination is widely attributed^[2][3] to his work in documenting police killings.^[3][4]

Human rights work

Oulu was credited with an important role in investigative work behind police killings in Kenya,^[5] including The Cry of Blood — Report on Extra-Judicial Killings and Disappearances,^[4] which was widely publicised by WikiLeaks.^[5]

Assassination

At approximately 6:00 pm Oulu was shot and killed while sitting in rush hour traffic in Nairobi on March 5, 2009, along with lawyer and founder of the Oscar Foundation, Oscar Kamau Kingara.^[3] They were on their way to a meeting with Kamanda Mucheke, a senior human rights officer of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights when they were shot at point-blank range in their white Mercedes Benz E200 car (KAJ 179Z).^[6][7]

Witness accounts from the nearby University of Nairobi stated that a Mitsubishi Pajero was seen blocking a Mercedes Benz, after which gunshots were fired at the Mercedes by individuals in similar clothing who emerged from a minivan positioned a few cars behind. The incident resulted in the fatal shooting of the two occupants.^[8]

Earlier on in the same day, the government through its spokesperson, Alfred Mutua, had accused the Oscar Foundation of sponsoring Mungiki led protests.^[9][10]

The assassination sparked protests by students from the nearby University of Nairobi that were marked with destruction and looting of property.^[11] Godwin Ogato, a second year university student at University of Nairobi was shot dead in the fracas that ensued between students and police.^[12]

Following the assassination, WikiLeaks called for witness reports and described Kingara and Oulu as "Wikileaks-related senior human rights activists".^[2] As per the leaks, it was alleged that they were executed by government undercover security officers.^[13]

See also

• Human rights in Kenya