Five security officers attached to the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) have been arrested in connection with the death of a Form Three student in Maji Mazuri, Eldama Ravine.
The officers allegedly assaulting Stephen Mwangi, 19, at Narasha Forest last Wednesday, which left him with serious injuries.
According to the family, the secondary school student was assaulted as he attempted to rescue his mother who had been detained by the officers in the forest on claims that she was engaging in illegal logging.
After the incident, the teenager was treated at the Eldama Ravine Sub-County Hospital and later referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) where he succumbed to injuries on Tuesday while in the Intensive Care Unit, (ICU).
Acting on behalf of the OCPD Eldama Ravine, Felician Nafula confirmed the arrests, adding that the case had been transferred to the DCI for further proceedings.
“The five suspects are officers attached to the KFS. They have been arrested and are being held at Eldama Ravine Police Station," Ms Nafula said on Tuesday evening.
Following the incident, angry residents of Maji Mazuri staged protests on Tuesday while accusing KFS officers of persistent harassment, particularly targeting women, children, and the elderly.
“The mother of the deceased had requested his son to bring him some money the officers had demanded for, but on arriving at the forest, the boy found his mother being harassed, which prompted him to intervene,” claimed one Ms Susan Wacuka.
“I visited the deceased at Eldama Ravine Hospital and his situation was very bad. Shockingly, he could not speak but was still in handcuffs. How inhuman were the officers for them to beat up that young man to death?" she posed.
Maji Mazuri MCA Solomon Kuria expressed concern over cases of violence by the KFS officers on area residents, noting that they target individuals collecting firewood in the forest.
The MCA called for a thorough probe into the incident and for the suspects to face appropriate legal consequences for their actions.
