Several police officers have been arrested after a fatal shooting in Nakuru West, following a confrontation with protesters.
The incident, which took place on the afternoon of Monday, June 10, saw officers from Nakuru Central Police Station storm an area believed to be a hot spot for peddlers of illicit substances, before a confrontation ensued.
Witnesses said that some of the individuals whom the police had targeted resisted arrest. This prompted the officers to retreat, and gunshots were fired in a bid to disperse a growing crowd that had already started gathering.
One of the suspects was unfortunately hit by one of the bullets and lost his life on the way to a local medical facility.
County Police Commander Michael Mwaura said officers had embarked on a drug bust in London Estate, which is notorious for having peddlers.
"The officers nabbed one suspect who said he was being supplied by a dealer in London in Nakuru West," he said. "When officers went to confront the dealer, chaos ensued, and officers were pelted with stones."
He added, "The officers fired shots to disperse the crowd, and that was when one of the suspects was hit."
The shooting of the civilian sparked outrage among area locals, who had a different version of events as they accused officers of brutality over an alleged botched bribery attempt.
For a better part of Monday evening, residents blocked the Nakuru-Kabarak road with stones and burning tyres, paralysing traffic.
Other protestors stormed the Nakuru Level Five Hospital, where the body of the deceased was being held, as they demanded justice. Local leaders reportedly attempted to intervene to no avail.
While one police officer was confirmed to have sustained injuries from the chaos, authorities have remained tight-lipped about the bribery allegations.
The Nakuru incident took place on the same day when there was outrage in Nairobi along the same lines, as activists staged protests outside Central Police Station demanding justice over the death of Influencer Albert Ojwang.
