Well-wishers pay Sh80,000 hospital bill for girl shot in eye by Migori prison warder

 Quinter Amondi, a Form Two student at Ulanda Girls in Migori County, was shot by prison warders who were reportedly hunting a prisoner who had escaped from Migori GK prison Photo: Courtesy

The 16-year-old girl who was shot by a prison warder in Migori has been discharged from hospital.

She is in good health and is recuperating at her parents’ home in Nairobi.

Quinter Amondi, a Form Two student at Ulanda Girls in Migori County, was shot by prison warders who were reportedly hunting a prisoner who had escaped from Migori GK prison.

 Migori County Commander, David Kirui, said that the prisoner had escaped and the warders were hunting him.

“The suspect started running towards Migori Boys where different secondary schools in the lake region were meeting for the regional ball games. The warders shot at the prisoner causing a stampede at the school, unfortunately a bullet caught Quinter in the eye,” he explained.

 Amondi was rushed to St Joseph Ombo Mission Hospital where a surgery was done and later referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret for corrective surgery.

 When The Nairobian spoke to her mother, Saline, she said they had a bill balance of Sh80,000 which was cleared by well-wishers who mobilised on social media.

Amondi’s father, Fredrick Odhiambo Ojwando, said he was saddened by the news and wants justice for her daughter. 

“My daughter was not the target, she was simply representing her school in a handball game and was determined to improve and play internationally. With one eye, her dreams of modelling are also thwarted. My heart bleeds for my beautiful girl,” he lamented.

The father says the government has not reached out to his family and feels they ought to have footed the medical bills.

“I will be seeking compensation from the government on behalf of my child; I have to fight for her,” he vowed.

Ojwando said he will seek quotations from a recommended eye facility on the cost of a corrective facial surgery and take it to IPOA (Independent Policing Oversight Authority) to compel the government to foot the bill. He revealed that the girl is stable but traumatised.

The incident caused uproar on social media with residents demonstrating on the streets to condemn the shooting. They demanded the warder to be prosecuted.

 Responding to this, Nyanza Regional Coordinator, Willy Lugusa, said the warder had been identified and interdicted.

Lugusa added that he is being held by police as investigations are ongoing. “The officer was identified and may face the sack if found guilty. I don’t want to comment much about the case for now. In the wake of many shooting by police, we are taking the matter seriously,” he said.

Lawyer Robert Ouma Njoga of Ouma Njoga and Company Advocates in Kisumu, says the girl is an aggrieved party and the government owes her damages from the pain and suffering.

“However, the compensation cannot only be determined after an assessment by a court of law. Quantisation of damages could include general damages owing to loss of amenities and even special damages like medical bills and any other bills she was made to incur post the shooting,” he said.