When Fidel Castro Ochieng, 19, was sent home from school earlier this week, he was looking forward to resuming classes on Friday as his parents had promised.
However, the Form Four student at Olembo Boys Secondary School will have to stay home for a little longer after he fell victim to police brutality during the ongoing anti-government protests in Kisumu.
Ochieng, who is currently being treated for gunshot wounds at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital (JOOTRH), has nine bullets lodged in his body.
The nurse in charge of the hospital, Ms Teresa Okiri, said eight bullets were lodged in the patient's chest and one in his arm.
"We are preparing him for surgery in the next few minutes," Ms Okiri said.
In an interview from his hospital bed, Ochieng recalled how he was playing cards with a group of friends in Nyamasaria when a group of police officers invaded their compound.
Fidel Castro Ochieng’, 19, at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu on July 21, 2023. He had nine bullets lodged in his body.
Photo credit: Ondari Ogega | Nation Media Group
"One of them shouted to the others that we were hiding after causing a disturbance and started beating us with a big stick," Ochieng said.
The three young men tried to run away, but one of the policemen pulled out his gun and pointed it at them.
Ochieng was shot eight times as he fled. He was lucky to meet someone who carried him on his motorbike, but as they fled, the policeman fired a final shot that hit his arm.
The 19-year-old says he is lucky to have escaped alive because the armed officer chased them, shooting until they entered the hospital gates.
"The pain is unbearable, I have not been able to sleep, the bullets in my chest are uncomfortable," Ochieng said as he was wheeled into the theatre on Friday afternoon.
He added: "One of my friends succumbed to the bullet wounds while being treated. I thank God I am still alive".
By 1pm on Friday, the nurse in charge confirmed that two patients with a similar number of gunshot wounds had been successfully operated on and were recovering in the High Dependency Unit.
According to Ms Okiri, the patients, who are mainly young males, with the oldest being 32 years old, had bullets lodged either in their chest, back or arms.
"Yesterday we had 14 more patients with gunshot wounds. 15 patients who had bullets lodged in their bodies were successfully operated on," Ms Okiri said.
Mr Joseph Odhiambo, 22, a boda boda rider, was also among the dozens of patients queuing for surgery at the hospital on Friday.
X-ray scan showing some of the bullets lodged in the arm of 19-year-old Fidel Castro Ochieng’ on July 21, 2023.
Photo credit: Ondari Ogega | Nation Media Group
He claims to have been shot by a policeman in civilian clothes on his way home from work at 4pm on Thursday.
Mr Odhiambo said in an interview that the policeman shot him in the right leg as he tried to flee and he was rushed to the hospital by a friend.
At the hospital, three other patients, Collins Ochieng, 20, Tonny Owigo, 21, and Calary Ochieng, 19, are also awaiting surgery with bullets lodged in their backs, knees and hips.
Mr Owigo, a second-year student at Great Lakes University in Kisumu, said he was shot in the knee in the Nyalenda slums.
He said a police officer fired tear gas into a room where they had taken refuge. He was shot in the knee as they ran for safety.
Ms Okiri said two patients had died at the hospital on Thursday, bringing the total number of deaths since July 7 to six.
"One was brought in in a critical condition and died during treatment while the other was confirmed dead on arrival," she said.
Among those who died of gunshot wounds was Elium Michael, a second-year student at Kisumu National Polytechnic, who was hit by a stray bullet.
The nurse in charge said the health workers manning the facilities were overwhelmed, with some forced to work continuously for up to 36 hours.
She said some of the health workers were unable to go to work due to insecurity, leaving the few remaining with a heavy workload.
"The few staff have been working around the clock to save the lives of the injured," she said.
