Man allegedly assaulted by cop in Kisii dies

 

A phone technician who was allegedly assaulted by a police officer at Kisii Central police station has died.

Phone technician Bramuel Chakunza suffered severe injuries that caused internal bleeding leading to his  death on Tuesday morning  at Nyanchwa Adventist Hospital where he was rushed to for treatment.

 An autopsy showed he died of stomach injuries inflicted by a blunt object.There was accumulation of blood in the parts where he was bludgeoned, the report stated.

He had been released  on Sunday morning from the cells  to seek medication after his situation at  worsened.

Records at Cenral police station show the officer who attacked Chakunza had not been assigned duty as he was supposed to be on leave. He was loitering around the station when he was caught up in the incident.

 Witnesses say he participated in clobbering Chakunza, an incident that sparked violent demonstrations in the county capital.

 “Detectives probing the matter may want to know under which circumstances he acted causing the fatality,” said a senior officer at Kisii Central police station privy to the ongoing investigations.

 The suspect has since been positively identified, with station officers saying he was barely three months old in Kisii.

 “He would definitely be having questions to answer regarding this incident,” the officer said.

 Detectives investigating the incident said they will recommend the officer’s prosecution once they finish preliminary investigations. 

The deceased is said to have accompanied a friend who was to see his wife who had been arrested for breaking the curfew when they were seized and bundled into the cells.

  Nyanza regional police commander John Muiruri Karanja who visited Kisii said the government was ready to haul before court the suspect after he was positively identified by some of the people who witnessed the incident.

“He is going to be arraigned as soon as IPOA gives the okay for the case has since been taken by them,” said Muiruri.

He said rogue officers would have no place to hide in the service if they act outside their mandate.

The incident caused violent protests in the streets of Kisii, with police lobbing tear gas canisters to disperse angry youths who drove to the station with the body of the trader in an open lorry.