Gun fired accidentally, officer accused of attempted murder says

By MANASE OTSIALO
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A police officer attached to Lafey Police Station in Mandera County has denied a charge of attempted murder.

He was charged that on May 11, 2019 at Lafey Police Station, he attempted to kill Mr Walter Ongaga by aiming and shooting at him using an AK-47 rifle.

The officer, who denied the charge, said he has been at Lafey Police Station for a year and that the complaint, who is the station’s OCS owes him some money.

“I don’t understand how a disciplinary issue has changed to criminal proceeding and I have been in police cell since Sunday awaiting a disciplinary panel,” Mr Boiywo told Mandera Senior Resident Magistrate Duncan Mtai.

REFUSED TO PAY

Mr Boiywo claimed that the complaint had refused to pay him Sh2,000 and that he used what he described as accidental discharge of a bullet to nail him.

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“He owed me Sh5,000, paid Sh3,000 but has since refused to pay the balance and I needed it to travel to Nairobi for biometric police registration. We had an altercation on Saturday when I approached him over it,” Mr Boiywo said.

According to the suspect, the bullet was fired accidentally as he hurriedly picked his rifle from the armoury.

NOT LOCKED

“I delayed to go for my gun on Sunday and since we had spent the last night firing, scaring away enemies as we are on the border, the gun was not locked when I picked it,” he said.

He said the single bullet ripped through the roof and that he never aimed at the complainant as alleged.

“He called in the Rural Border Patrol Unit (RBPU) officers to arrest me on Sunday, leading to a scuffle at the station,” said Mr Baiywo.

Mr Boiywo lamented that he had been kept in Mandera Police Station cells since Sunday and prayed to be released on cash bail but the magistrate declined saying the charge levelled against him is serious.

He was released on a Sh500,000 bond with surety.