Officers arrested over worker’s death

By Roselyne Obala and Robert Wanyonyi

Three police officers in Bungoma have been arrested following the killing of a Kenya Red Cross worker.

The volunteer was shot as he assisted victims of a road accident on Tuesday.

Western PPO King’ori Mwangi said Bungoma OCS, a superintendent in charge of operations and a corporal are in Nairobi for questioning.

"They are due to undergo interrogation by CID officials to establish how the volunteer died and another sustained gunshot wounds," he said.

He added: "We recovered a bullet head at the scene and we have since confiscated the firearms of the three for ballistic testing."

The deceased, Michael Sululu, is said to have been attending to a casualty at the scene of Tuesday’s oil tanker accident in Bungoma when he died.

He was dressed in an official jacket with a first aid kit. Another person is admitted at Bungoma District Hospital with gun shot wounds.

Bungoma Red Cross branch chairman Mohammud Said said a post-mortem examination was to be conducted on the slain volunteer.

He, however, said Red Cross would not press any charges against the officers, but Sululu’s family was free to pursue justice.

Red Cross Secretary-General Abbas Gullet said Internal Security Minister George Saitoti should order investigation into the incident.

He further urged the Government to ensure safety of staff while rendering humanitarian services.

Cover-up claims

Meanwhile, a human rights group has accused police of trying to cover up the incident. Mwatikho Torture Survivors Organisation said police were trying to protect an officer who allegedly shot the volunteer.

The lobby appealed to Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere to launch an inquest into Sululu’s death.

The group’s executive director Taiga Wanyanja said: "The police must say the truth because the bereaved family has lost the bread-winner."

He called for an independent autopsy. Wanyanja at the same time vowed to mobilise residents to demonstrate against police if no action is taken against the officer.