Kisii killing: Police officer to be charged with assault
Part of the protests against the killing of a 38-year-old phone technician in Kisii town yesterday.
A police officer alleged to have attacked and seriously injured a 38-year-old man held at Kisii central police station who eventually died, will be arraigned in court on Tuesday and be charged with assault.
The officer, in the company of his colleagues, is said to have assaulted the deceased, Bramuel Chakunza, last Saturday for violating the dusk-to-dawn curfew.
Mr Chakunza succumbed to injuries on Tuesday morning while receiving treatment at Nyanchwa Adventist Hospital.
Speaking to the Nation on Sunday, Nyanza Regional Police Commander John Muiruri Karanja said they managed to trace the suspect after conducting investigations at the station where the incident happened.
“We managed to get one suspect who will be arraigned for the law to take its own course. We will not allow such happenings to taint the name of the police service,” he said.
The man's death led to protests in Kisii town with hundreds of young men and women staging demos to demand justice. During the march, they wore red t-shirts inscribed with the words “stop killing the youth.”
A post-mortem revealed that the deceased died from stomach injuries inflicted by a blunt object that caused internal bleeding. The report further indicated that there was accumulation of blood in the parts of his body that were hit.
In an earlier statement addressing the matter, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said a report on the incident would be out in the shortest time possible.
The ministry, he added, will implement the recommendations of a team comprising the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) and the police's Internal Affairs Unit.
“99 per cent of our officers are decent people who are committed to their work. When one of us makes a mistake, the whole service should not be condemned,” Dr Matiang’i said.
