Leaders accuse police of complicity in Siaya villager’s death

Siaya

Thursday, January 4, 2024

KNA By Philip Onyango

Leaders in West Ugenya ward in Siaya County have raised concern over the lackluster manner the local security agencies were treating investigations into a fatal accident involving a police vehicle.

The leaders are up in arms claiming the police appear to be lax and attempting to cover up the facts that led to the tragic events when one of their vehicles ran over the 36-year-old Austin Odhiambo killing him on the spot.

Witnesses said the police vehicle crushed the late Odhiambo a few metres from his parent’s gate in Uhumwa village in West Ugenya location. 

Leaders who condoned the bereaved family led by area member of the county assembly Andericus Oduor Odongo, demanded that a multi–agency investigation team from elsewhere to probe the circumstances that led to the fatal accident conduct because local police appeared reluctant since they were complicit to the crime.

According to the family, the deceased was pleading for his phone that had been confiscated by a policeman who grabbed his hand as the Land Cruiser was in motion only to release him and he fell and was crushed by the vehicle.

The policemen, from the Ukwala police station had accompanied an auctioneering firm to attach cattle as a result of a contentious loan that was allegedly taken by a daughter-in-law to the home.

According to the deceased’s father, Boniface Opondo, Bungoma-based Rhemat Auctioneers’ agents raided his home while in the company of policemen from Ukwala police station and tens of hired goons carrying clubs and all sorts of crude weapons and proceeded to his kraal where, without a word, they started loading cows into the canter.

As he protested the move, the auctioneers flashed out an alleged order allowing them to attach the cattle over a debt acquired by his estranged daughter-in-law whom she says left the home over three years ago.

Opondo said that the order that did not indicate the case number nor the court where it emanated from, alleged that one Lucy Akinyi Owino owed First Community Savings and Credit Cooperative Society Limited sh. 13,800 while the auctioneers' fee was sh. 81,300/=.

He said Akinyi was once married to his son, the late Austin and it took everybody by surprise that she had taken a loan while using her father-in-law’s cattle as security.

“While they were loading the cattle, my son Austin took his cellphone and was recording the event to enable us to have evidence when a policeman slapped him hard and confiscated his phone,” said Opondo.

He said that when Opondo insisted that the policeman returns his phone, the officer cocked his gun and threatened to shoot him.

As the policemen and the auctioneers left, Austin pursued the vehicle while pleading for the release of his phone but the officer, who was sitting in the driver’s cabin, instead grabbed his hand while the vehicle was in motion, in the process dragging him, he said. 

“It is the screams from the people who had come to witness the event that made the policeman to release his hand and as he fell, he was run over by the Land Cruiser,” said Opondo.

He said that even after doing this, the policemen did not stop but sped off and left the family to look for means of ensuring that their member is rushed to hospital, said a distraught father.

The dejected parent said that they took Austin to Ukwala sub-county hospital where he was pronounced dead and his body was moved to the hospital’s mortuary.

Opondo accused the Ukwala police of indifference, adding that instead of coming to the aid of the family and owning up that their officers were in the wrong, they were hell-bent on covering up the matter.

Family lawyer, Enock Otieno accused the Ukwala police of presiding over an illegal attachment of somebody else’s property without a proper court order.

He said that it was raising eyebrows that the family had a valid court order stopping the attachment which was served to the police but they deliberately chose to ignore it and went ahead to enforce a non-existent order.

Otieno questioned why the auctioneer sought the service of Ukwala police station and ignored Ratado police station, a kilometer away from the home, to execute the task.

He called on the inspector general of the police, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) and other relevant bodies to launch immediate investigations to establish the interest of the Ukwala police station and the police bosses in Ugenya sub-county in the matter.

West Ugenya member of the county assembly, Oduor Odongo said it was ironic that Ukwala police station officers chose to keep their counterparts whose jurisdiction covers Uhumwa village in the dark over the alleged operation.

He said that it was not the first time that the auctioneer had misused Ukwala police to attach innocent people’s property using fake orders that do not have court stamps or case numbers and called on the auctioneer registration board to look into the activities of this firm to deregister it. 

Siaya County police commander Mr. Cleti Kemboi Kimaiyo confirmed the incident, saying that there were conflicting reports on exactly what led to the death.

“According to the report from Ukwala police station, the deceased attempted to jump into the vehicle and missed grip and fell on the ground,” said Kimaiyo adding that he has ordered the County Criminal Investigations officer to take over the matter from Ukwala and establish the truth.

He assured the family that no one would be spared in the investigations and if the policemen were found culpable, necessary action would be taken.

Courtesy; KNA