A 23-year-old man is seeking justice after a police officer from the Kilimambogo police post in Thika East, Kiambu County, shot him in the buttocks.
Accused of trespass, Samson Mutunga Wambua was arrested by G4S guards around Ndula village alongside his two friends and taken to Kilimambogo police holding cell, where they were detained.
A drunk police officer is said to have emerged from the compound only to start whipping the suspects one at a time while threatening to injure them.
During the confrontation, one of the suspects who nose-bled is said to have been released unconditionally to cover up the torture.
According to Wambua, who is recuperating at Thika Level Five Hospital after bleeding profusely, the drunk officer who was left to man them at the holding cell by the officer on duty took his gun and shot at him after a torturous session.
“While at the police post, a drunk police officer came and started beating us, each at a time. One of my friends started nose bleeding and was released to cover up the torture. The drunk officer who was left to guard us shot at my buttocks after beating us,” Mutunga revealed.
Call Kindiki’s intervention
Speaking to journalists at the hospital, distraught Wambua called on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to help him get justice.
Thika East Sub-County police commander Andrew Sora, who confirmed the incident, told journalists that the suspected officer has since vanished but his officers are looking for him.
Sora revealed that Wambua is undergoing treatment at Thika Level Five Hospital and is in stable condition, saying that investigations have commenced.
He stated that police will leave nothing unturned and will prosecute anyone found to have contravened the law.
“We had pineapple theft suspects at the police post. While at the holding area, one of the officers shot Samson Mutunga Wambua in the buttocks. We took him to the hospital, where he is undergoing treatment in stable condition. The officer went missing, but we will arrest him. Investigations have commenced and the law will take its course,” Sora said.
Shooting condemned
Residents led by Wambua’s mother, Stella Wanzila, called on Kindiki to intervene to ensure justice is served.
“I am widowed, and Wambua has been the breadwinner in my family. I urge Kindiki to help me get justice. It’s painful to see my son suffering in hospital for crimes committed by a drunk officer,” Wanzila decried.
Ngoliba Ward Member of County Assembly Joakim Njama has condemned the incident and called on higher police authorities to crack the whip to ensure that justice is served.
He specifically called on Kindiki to restore sanity in the police service, saying that some rogue officers have been tainting the image of the entire service by regressing it back to the old days when it used to be a police force.
“Some of the characters exhibited by some officers are wanting. How was a drunk officer given a gun and allowed to guard suspects? The officer ordered the suspect to sleep on the ground, and he shot him on the buttocks while on the ground. It’s shocking, to say the least, and justice for Wambua must and should be seen to be served,” Njama said.
