Officer shoots five, causes revenge attacks

Marsabit; Kenya: The shooting of five people in Laisamis by a police constable who locals had described as 'notorious', has led to a wave of retaliatory attacks on business owned by persons from two communities.

On Saturday evening, through early part of the night, armed morans attacked business premises belonging to people from the two communities and went on a looting spree, in what locals said was anger expressed towards the constable who shot and seriously injured the five, including a woman and three school children.

"The armed morans, estimated at about 300, targeted retail outlets belonging to people from communities associated with the constable. It was a case of unacceptable action against an equally unacceptable use of force by the officer," said a source who talked to The Standard yesterday.

UNWARRANTED ATTACK

Shops and kiosks selling foodstuff, vegetable stalls, miraa joints and a bar were among the premises targeted and looted by the attackers, who however did not injure anyone.

About 30 families from the two communities were forced to seek refuge at Laisamis police station and were still there by the time of going to press.

"They took all my cabbages and kales and the day's earnings. I was not injured but got very scared and that is why we opted to take refuge at the police station," said one vegetable vendor.

Another trader who operates a food stall said: "We agree that what the police man did is wrong but the entire community should not be made to pay for his actions."

It is alleged that the constable had on Saturday arrested a youth caught fighting with a colleague days before and had locked him up at a resting kiosk set up by officers manning the barrier along the Isiolo-Moyale highway.

The policeman's actions angered locals who swamped to the barrier calling for the young man's release. When they protested and shouted the constable down, he opened fire injuring the five, three of them critically.

The three critically injured are Kore Lewagat, a Standard Seven pupil, who was shot in the head, Salio Lerapo, a KCPE candidate, who was shot on the left leg and Ramatu Letelwa, who was left with stomach wounds. Fifty-year-old Kiboran Ibalanga, alias Mama Chapo, and 27-year-old Lerato Taraya both sustained leg injuries.

Following the incident, the police officer was arrested and transferred to Marsabit town police station but this did not appease some angry locals who turned their anger on fellow residents.

ROGUE OFFICER

Yesterday, Marsabit County police commander Bernard Kogo, Marsabit South deputy county commissioner, Mutuku Mwenga, Marsabit senator Abubakar Hargura, Laisamis MCA Mohamud Kochale, members of the district security committee and village elders held a crisis meeting which was still going on by the time we went to press.

Both Mr Kogo and Mr Mwenga did not pick our calls or respond to our text messages but Hargura and Kochale confirmed they were at the meeting.

"We want the officer to face justice for his action but we are now faced with a new problem and are at a meeting to determine how best to address it," the senator said.

The constable had been accused by the locals of perpetrating arbitrarily arrests, assaults, corruption and refusing to pay his bills at local shops, hotels and bars.