Lawyer want policemen linked to an attack of petrol station owner probed

A Nakuru lawyer has written to the Kericho County Commander demanding that two police officers be investigated over an alleged attack on a businessman.  

Lawyer Peter Okiro said the officers, identified as Njoroge and Chirchir, are attached to Litein Police Station.

“We are demanding that you immediately summon the officers for questioning and possible prosecution in the next seven days failure to which we will institute legal action against you and the officers,” reads the letter.

The lawyer is acting on behalf of Abdikadir Adow, who runs a fuel station.

Mr Adow claims the officers beat him up until he lost consciousness on June 15, 2020.

“The officers in the company of others accosted our client at his petrol station and without any reason pounced on him with kicks and blows until he was unconscious,” reads the letter.

He accused the officers of stealing Sh18,500 from Adow in the process. The officers are said to have taken the trader to Kapketet Hospital where they said he had a history of epilepsy and high blood pressure, and that they had found him unconscious at his petrol station.

“Our client was given legretol drug by the doctors who relied on the officers' information regarding his health,” reads the letter.

The letter further stated that the matter was reported to the police station and booked under Occurrence Book number 24/16/6/2020.

However, the lawyer claimed that the report was altered and that Adow was promptly charged with resisting arrest before Kericho Law Courts.

“Why would somebody found unconscious resist arrest? And why were the charges hurriedly crafted when our client insisted on having the officers prosecuted,” posed Okiro.

According to the letter, the people who witnessed the attack have not been given a chance to record statements on the same.

Okiro adds that the station has been reluctant to take any action against the officers despite there being video evidence.

“Our client’s life is in danger as the officers are freely roaming around,” he adds.

The letter was copied to the Director of Criminal Investigations, Officer Commanding Police Station at Litein, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai as well as the Chair of Independent Police Oversight Authority Anne Makori.