By PETER MUTAI
A forest guard in Londiani District is suspected to have shot to death a man on Tuesday for alleged illegal logging.
Villagers claimed that the two guards were on a routine patrol in Tegunon village, when they heard the sound of a power saw at a homestead bordering the South Western Mau Forest and decided to find out what was going on.
According to a villager, Richard Chepkwony, the forest guards found Bernard Keter operating the power saw.
Upon noticing the officers, he abandoned the machine and ran away. It is alleged that one of the guards opened fire, killing him instantly.
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"He was felling down some trees within their homestead but fled away from the guards to evade arrest," he added.
dropped his gun
Villagers alleged that the guard who shot at Keter dropped his gun and ran towards the forest. The suspected logger’s mother then raised an alarm, attracting neighbours.
The other guard ran towards the Kericho-Nakuru highway but villagers cornered him and descended on him with kicks, blows and crude weapons, injuring him seriously in the 6.30pm incident.
Londiani acting DC Richard Nyanamba, who rushed to the scene accompanied by police officers, claimed the victim was an illegal logger who was sawing logs obtained from the forest.
Irate crowd
When the officers arrived at the scene, the irate crowd had taken possession of the two guns belonging to the guards. They however surrendered them to the police.
The injured guard was taken to Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru.
Nyanamba said police have launched investigations into the matter to establish circumstances surrounding the shooting incident.
Thursday morning the administrator held a daylong meeting with area residents.
The guard who is said to have fired the killer bullet surrendered himself to the police at Londiani Police Station.
