A traffic police officer on duty on Uhuru highway in Nairobi. Naivasha-based businessman Francis Koigo, who had a heated altercation with a traffic police officer, says he will sue.
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Man in police scuffle video says he lost Sh150,000, vows to sue
A businessman appearing in a short video that has gone viral on social media claims he lost Sh150,000 in a scuffle with traffic police officers and has vowed to sue them for assault.
The video, which has been trending on WhatsApp groups, shows Naivasha-based businessman Francis Koigo having a heated altercation with a traffic police officer.
The motorist was protesting after the officer started banging his vehicle with a swagger stick.
Trouble started when the businessman started filming the damage caused on his vehicle by the officer.
In the video, the officer attacks Mr Koigo who, in self-defence, holds off his hand.
Fellow officers then come to the rescue of their colleague, raining blows on the astonished driver, whom they pin against his white vehicle.
Mixed reactions
Opinion is split on who between the officer and the driver is in the wrong, with some condemning the police for using excessive force, as others accuse the motorist of threatening law enforcers who were just discharging their duties.
In a tweet, National Police Service Commission Chairperson Eliud Kinuthia condemned the “ugly incident” of a citizen insulting and confronting uniformed officers on traffic duties at Pipeline in Nakuru County.
He further urged the public to respect the rights, long hours and endurance of police officers as they enforce traffic laws on the roads during the festive season.
The incident triggered a sequence of events that saw Mr Koigo charged in a Nakuru court.
Recalling the moment, Mr Koigo, who suffered soft-tissue injuries, termed the event unfortunate, adding the officer was unnecessarily “overbearing”.
“I wanted to park my vehicle on the roadside in Barnabas, on the Naivasha-Nakuru highway, to talk to my brother, who lives nearby,” he narrated.
Before he eased off the accelerator, a “seemingly stressed officer”
emerged from the sidewalk and asked the motorist to drive on.
“Before I could react, the officer hit my vehicle and as I stepped out to protest, he again banged the side of my vehicle and I got annoyed,” he explained.
Reinforcement
As the two argued, the officer fished out his phone and called for reinforcement.
Mr Koigo was by now filming and taking pictures of the damaged vehicle, for which he vowed to seek legal redress.
“I did not hit the officer and their attack on me was unwarranted…the incident was not worthy of drama,” he added.
A journalist captured the moment on camera, attracting the anger of the officers, who also attacked him, demanding that he should erase the pictures.
“The officer, sensing things were getting out of control, first took me to Mwariki police station, before I was later transferred to Nakuru,” said Mr Koigo.
“I was forced to leave my vehicle on the roadside and Sh150,000, which I had stashed inside the pickup, went missing,” he continued.
Suit ahead
Mr Koigo was headed to his upcountry home in Njoro for burial preparations for his departed aunt.
Before he was moved to Nakuru, he insisted on being taken back to his vehicle and that is when he realised the cash was missing.
Mr Koigo says he will sue the officers for assaulting him.
“I shall be seeking legal redress over the beating…it was humiliating and am still physiologically tortured,” he told the Nation in an interview.
He, however, said he feared for his life after the incident, citing possible reprisals from the officers.
“I just feel insecure and want the issue handled professionally,” he stated.
He further revealed that he has been receiving hundreds of calls since the Christmas day incident, with friends seeking to find out what transpired.
