Thirteen Kenyan security officers pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering two Indian men and their Kenyan driver in 2022 in a politically-charged case, their lawyer said Friday.

The policemen along with a national intelligence officer and a wildlife warden went before a judge on Thursday over the killing of driver Nicodemus Mwania Mwange and the two Indians, identified by prosecutors as Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai and Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan. "It is a political case.

Our clients are innocent," defence lawyer Danstan Omari told AFP.

The two Indians were alleged to have worked on Kenyan President William Ruto's successful 2022 election campaign, according to media reports.