Man arrested in connection to police station raid

BY KEVINE OMOLLO

Kisumu, Kenya: A man has been arrested in connection with a raid incident in a police station in Kisumu County.

The man is suspected to be among over ten bodaboda operators at Kogony Village in Kisumu North who raided an Administration Police Camp and attacked an officer on Tuesday midday.

Two motorcycles have also been impounded by police.

A group of youths were said to have pushed their way into Kanyametha AP Camp and rained on the officer on duty with blows and crude weapon causing him serious injuries.

Area Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Peter Manwa said the rowdy youths got the officer unaware in the office and questioned if he was the ‘culprit’ on their radar.

They then descended on the officer before reinforcement was called in following an alarm raised by members of the public.

The station which houses three officers had the one officer on duty in the office while two others were on patrol not far from the station.

Manwa said the two officers who were on patrol ran back to the station after the tip off and fired on air to disperse the mob before rushing the victim to New Nyanza Provincial Hospital.

“If the officers would have delayed it would have been a different story,” said Manwa.

He said the mob escaped but one was arrested later after he was mentioned to have been among the group.

The incident follows a series of police-public conflicts in the county in which mostly transport operators have been attacking officers on their duty.

Manwa said the suspect was being interrogated to establish if there was a previous misunderstanding between the bodaboda operators and the officer prior to the incident.

“It is disturbing to comprehend this. The officers in the station have co-existed well with the locals and we will treat this as criminal,” added Manwa.