Three dead, nine police officers injured: Horror of Narok highway accident protests
Protesting herders block the busy Mai Mahiu-Narok road at Duka Moja, demanding Sh3 million in compensation after more than 30 sheep were hit and killed by a speeding motor vehicle in the area.
What you need to know:
- At least three people are said to have succumbed to various injuries with traffic interrupted on the Narok highway.
- Nine police officers sustained various injuries with at least one being flown to Nairobi for specialised treatment.
The horrific scenes captured on video as demonstrators chased an armed police officer in full uniform, cornered him and chopped off his hand is heart wrenching.
It captures the life-threatening encounters police officers face while quelling demonstrations in parts of the country.
It also replicated acts of hooliganism that have been witnessed over the years between Ololung'a and Maai Mahiu area of Narok County with barricading of the road, mostly over accidents involving livestock.
In the latest incident, at least three people are said to have succumbed to various injuries with traffic interrupted on the highway for at least 24 hours.
Nine police officers sustained various injuries with at least one being flown to Nairobi for specialised treatment in the incident that occurred at Duka Moja area, according to the authorities.
This followed a demonstration by residents demanding Sh3 million in compensation for the loss of 30 sheep killed in an accident involving a lorry on Thursday night.
County Commissioner Kipkech Lotiatia and County Police Commander Riko Ngare said relative calm had returned to the area on Saturday, January 18 with traffic flowing on the Narok-Maai Mahiu highway as a result.
The number of civilians injured in the ensuing chaos had not been established by the time of publishing this article while eight police officers were treated at Narok County Referral hospital.
Following the attack by residents, several police officers deployed to the area retreated, boarded their vehicle and sped off with others being shielded from harm by the public.
The policeman, who was left behind, is seen being chased away and descended on by more than 30 armed people who corner and beat him up before cutting off his hand.
They then leave him on the ground writhing in pain with blood oozing from the wound, before he attempts to sit up. One resident is seen protecting him as the crowd retreats after realising the harm caused.
“A police officer lost his hand in the process; one has been flown to Nairobi for further treatment. It is unfortunate that this has degenerated into a chaotic situation leading to deaths when it could have been avoided," Mr Lotiatia said.
Mr Lotiatia said that at around midnight on Thursday, sheep were killed in an accident involving a lorry at Ntulele area along the Narok-Maai Mahiu - Nairobi highway.
The incident sparked off protests and the blocking of the highway which the police were seeking to clear when they were attacked. The lorry has been towed to Ntulele police station as investigation into the incident is conducted.
"Residents demanded Sh3 million as compensation for the loss of the animals and blocked the highway leading to the chaos that lasted several hours," The County Commissioner revealed.
A traffic snarl up was witnessed on the highway with motorists unable to travel to and from the Western region and Nairobi.
Tourists and local travellers were attacked and inconvenienced by the demonstrators who lit bonfires on the road with a failed attempt by police to clear the highway.
He called on the residents of the region to maintain law and order whenever such an incident occurs and allow the authorities to deal with the situation.
Ms Florence Kemunto, a farmer who was caught up in the chaos, sustained gunshot wounds and is undergoing treatment at Narok County Referral hospital.
Two bullets are still lodged in Ms Kemunto’s body, according to the doctors attending to her at the hospital.
“I was not among the demonstrators as I was returning from the farm when I felt pain in my hand, then started bleeding before I realised I had been shot,” Ms Kemunto said from her hospital bed.
Rift Valley regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan has warned herders against blocking the key highway and attacking innocent motorists and police officers on duty whenever they are aggrieved.
"The Maai Mahiu -Narok road is a key highway and an important and strategic route in the country. Acts of lawlessness by locals are a serious threat to tourism, as locals sometimes block visitors heading to the world famous Maasai Mara National Game Reserve,” Dr Hassan stated.
Dr Hassan said a committee composed of local leaders, the clergy, youth and women representatives, administrators and the police will be formed to come up with solutions to the decade old menace.
“I urge local political and religious leaders to hold regular meetings with security agencies, to ensure stability in the region as that would be key to economic development,” Dr Hassan added.
Mr Lemanken Aramat, the Narok East Member of Parliament, said the residents were justified in demanding compensation for the loss of their livestock.
“As much as we do not encourage lawlessness, we will stand with our people on this matter of compensation for the loss of their livestock,” Mr Aramat said.
Mr Aramat claimed that the police were to blame in the standoff as they had allegedly moved the carcasses of the livestock from the highway to the bush by the roadside.
Mr Lemosi Kimiti, the Member of the County Assembly for Kekonyoikee ward, said the leaders do not condone violence, but there was a need for the government to address the issue.
The regular road blockage of the key highway usually causes huge traffic snarl-ups along the major highway that is also the lifeline of regions of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
Attacks on the highway against motorists have not only affected the flow of tourists, but also scared many of them as it puts their lives at risk and paints the country as unsafe for visitors.
Mr Fred Peter, a Tanzanian national who was caught up in the chaos, said he was travelling back to his country for a funeral and wondered why the law could not be allowed to take its course.
“We understand there was an accident leading to the death of 30 sheep on the highway. Why is it that the residents cannot allow the authorities to deal with the matter legally?” Peter said.
“It is disheartening to note that the armed civilians could chase a police officer in uniform, fully armed with a rifle, beat him up and chop off his hand with a machete,” Mr Moses Lemein, a trader said.
Mr Lemein said “This act of lawlessness must come to an end. It is not in the culture and tradition of the Maasai community to defy authority to that level. These criminal elements involved must be arrested and prosecuted.”
He said whereas the police officer exercised a lot of restraint after being left behind by his colleagues who took off from the scene, the attack against him was not justified and should be treated as a crime.
In February 17, 2021 former Kisii Governor Joash Maangi’s vehicle was torched at Ololung'a in Narok County after it was involved in an accident with a boda boda rider, in what shows how volatile the highway is.
Several incidents of the highway being blocked whenever there are accidents involving livestock and loss of human life have been reported over the years on the highway with demands for immediate compensation even when the herders were on the wrong.
