A student of Lwala Mixed Secondary School in Migori county lost his life on the morning of Monday, February 20, 2023, after he was hit by a police van chasing after a suspected bhang smuggler.
The accident saw two other students, and a pedestrian injured. The four were rushed to Migori Referral Hospital where they are currently receiving treatment.
The three were reported to be in stable condition while the condition of the occupants in the police vehicle is still unknown.
Witnesses narrated that the unfortunate incident occurred at a roadblock along the busy Migori-Kisii highway as the officers were chasing after the suspect.
The police van is said to have ploughed through a group of students walking to school at dawn killing a female student on the spot.
Amidst the confusion, the suspect escaped to nearby sugarcane plantations
Consequently, the students at the institution together with members of the public staged protests seeking justice for their colleagues.
Police were forced to lob teargas and fire live bullets to disperse hundreds of students and members of the public who were already marching towards Migori town.
“We have been shocked by the death and the incident, it is unfortunate that police resorted to firing guns and teargas which affected most students further,” Walter Nyambogo, a teacher at the school said.
“We want to know if traffic rules only apply for common wananchi and not the police as the students were walking on a wide road when they were run over by the police vehicle,” Walter Nyambogo, a teacher at the school said.
The agitated crowd attacked police vehicles and other vehicles at the scene using stones and crude weapons causing a traffic snarl up that lasted an hour.
Overwhelmed, police from nearby Uriri headquarters called on backup from Migori town to stop the crowd from leading demonstrations to Migori town.
After running battles that lasted for two hours, the students were addressed at the Uriri education office while police officers were forced to cordon off the vehicle involved in an accident and escort it to Uriri police station. The students were assured that a probe will be conducted.
“We will ensure the police officer involved in the accident and the victims get justice, and as a community, we will also ensure that peace prevails in the area,” Graham Kagali, South Kanyamkago MCA said.\
Migori county police commander Mark Wanjala and Uriri DCC Monica Kang’ethe said the incident was unfortunate and reiterated that investigations will be conducted.
“Police had tried to access the accident scene to collect evidence, the students tried to stop them as they harassed other motorists. Nobody is above the law and we will launch investigations,” Wanjala said.
Kang’ethe sent her condolence to the families of those involved in the accident and called for peace and calm.
