A drunk police officer on Monday, September 27 shot and fatally injured a youth only identified as Newton in Ngurunga area, Kapsoya Estate in Uasin Gishu County.
The incident which attracted condemnation from members of the public has also caught the attention of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
It all started when the drunk officer confronted the man who were playing pool game and thereafter a verbal altercation occurred.
However, police officers say that the officer was acting in self-defense after Newton became wild and violent.
Uasin Gishu police boss Ayub Gitonga told the media that Newton had been nabbed by the police who suspected that he was engaged in the selling of drugs.
He then told the police that he would direct them to where he used to sell the drugs from and when he arrived at the scene he turned against the officers.
“He had been arrested in connection to drug trafficking but he turned violent which led to the shooting,” said Gitonga.
However, a section of locals differed with the officer’s statement saying that the plain cloth officer walked into the place where they were playing youth and hit Newton with a golf on his chest.
“This led to a fight between the duo and the officer was hit on the head. Another officer tried to stop them by shooting in the air but they did not stop, prompting him to shoot Newton in the stomach,” said Njeri Kimani a local.
Kimani asked IPOA to investigate the matter and take action against the officer who pulled the trigger that left the youth in his early 20s almost dead.
Another local, Peter Rotich said that the two differed over chapati as the officer was forcefully taking food.
“When Newton tried to ask him what was happening the officer shot him,” he said.
In a media briefing after the accident more locals claimed that the officers arrived at the scene while drunk.
Newton was rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital where he is undergoing treatment.
