The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) on Saturday, April 27, issued a statement following an altercation between its servicemen and police officers.
This followed two separate incidents in the Coast region where KDF officers assaulted police officers in Kilifi and Mombasa Counties.
In one of the incidents, a military officer stormed a police station, beat up police officers and set a prisoner free while in another incident, KDF soldiers were caught on camera assaulting police officers and security guards.
“This evening at the Likoni Ferry, KDF soldiers were involved in a scuffle that has been circulated through various social media mediums,” KDF noted in a statement.
“To establish the circumstances leading to the incident, Military Police and requisite investigation agencies are currently handling the matter.”
KDF remarked that the incidents were highly regrettable and emphasised that the force was beholden to the core value of professionalism.
In the Likoni Ferry incident, five on-duty servicemen were seen beating up police officers and security officers stationed at Likoni Ferry on the island side.
In the other incident, in Kilifi County at Rabai Sub-county, it was announced that police officers based at Kambe Ribe Police Station arrested a suspect accused of an assault case.
Immediately after the arrest, a KDF officer stationed at Garissa who is a cousin of the suspect stormed the police station demanding the release of the suspect.
“The KDF officer assaulted a police officer by twisting his right hand at the wrist joint and punching him in the chest with his fist,” a police statement read in part.
“They further broke the steel door and window pane to the report office letting the suspect escape from there.”
Additionally, it was reported that the complainant of the assault case who was present at the station was also beaten up in the process.
The KDF officer has since been arrested awaiting handover to the military police.
