Six guns stolen from Booker police post recovered in sugarcane plantation

Police have recovered all the remaining six G3 guns and 152 bullets stolen from Booker Police Post, Mumias in a sugarcane plantation.  

One of the suspects was shot dead at the scene in the sugarcane plantation as three others escaped. Police have launched investigations as the search for the three suspects is ongoing.

Police had recovered one of the seven G3 guns last week on Saturday.

At a news conference in Kakamega on Saturday, the Western Regional Police Commander Moses Ombati revealed that police found the gun wrapped in piece of cloth near river Nzoia in Mayoni.

Police counter-checked the serial number of the recovered gun with magazine containing 20 rounds of ammunition.

They determined that indeed the registration number of the rifle was among the seven that went missing with over 180 round of ammunition.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) had launched investigations into alleged police brutality during an operation to recover the seven stolen firearms in Mumias.

IPOA had asked locals to converge at Christian Growth Church in Shibale Township for official complaint from Wednesday November 30 to Friday December 2.

“IPOA launched investigations to determine culpability of offending police officers with a view to making appropriate recommendations,” said the authority.

Members of the public who witnessed or had information of the alleged police brutality converged at the Church to share the information and to officially lodge complaints. The Independent Medico-Legal Unit says it will ensure accountability and justice for all those who were affected by police brutality in the operation.

Security officers have been accused of attacking residents and destroying property in an operation to recover guns stolen from a police post in Mumias.

The residents claim the officers beat them up in the raid during which they reportedly set property, including buildings, on fire and raped women.

Others said the contingent of regular and Administration Police officers and their GSU counterparts sexually assaulted women and stole money from some of the residents.

The raid which targeted Mumias East, Mumias West and Matungu constituencies has left in its wake razed down businesses, raped women, traumatised children and several people limping after they were attacked.