Covid-19: Nakuru Man Clobbered by Police, Rushed to Hospital [VIDEO]

A driver who was manhandled by police as the curfew commenced on Friday, March 27, 2020
A driver who was manhandled by police as the curfew commenced on Friday, March 27, 2020
File

A man from Nakuru County opened up on how he was allegedly assaulted and badly injured by police officers enforcing the curfew on the night of Wednesday, April 1.

Mathew Mathia, a mechanic, claimed he had left work and was approaching his home at around 7.30 p.m. when he encountered police officers on patrol in a Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle.

According to Mathia, the officers forced him out of his car and seriously beat him up, with one hitting him with a gun on his head, causing him to start bleeding.

Mathia told reporters on Thursday, April 2 that after the officers left him, he struggled to make his way to a nearby residential area where well-wishers called the Kaptembwa police commander to rush him to hospital, fearing they would be assaulted if they took him for medical attention. 

Police order Mombasa residents on ground on March 27, 2020 just hours before the start of nationwide curfew to curb spread of coronavirus.
Police order Mombasa residents on the ground on March 27, 2020, just hours before the start of the nationwide curfew
File

At the hospital, an X-ray on Mathia's head confirmed the extent of his injury and he was patched up before being discharged.

An emotional Mathia appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to tame the rogue police officers, adding that he was now unable to work and provide for his three children as a result of the alleged assault.

"The doctor was so shocked by the injuries, he told me the police are not allowed to assault people the way they have done to you. I wasn't the only one, someone else came in with serious injuries to his legs and hands after being beaten up.

"My appeal to the president is for him to warn these officers to stop beating up people like this. Look at me, now I can't go to work and I'm the bread-winner in my family. I have three young children and I have to stay home," Mathia asserted.

Mathia further called for disciplinary action to be taken against the officers who assaulted him.

"I'd like to ask for those police officers to be punished because all they are doing is hurting people very badly," he stated.

Cases of police violence and brutality have been on the rise since the implementation of the 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew began on Friday, March 27.

In one of the most heartbreaking cases, a 13-year-old boy, Yassin Moyo, was killed by a police bullet as he watched officers enforce the curfew from a balcony at their home in Kiamaiko, Mathare Constituency.

In an address on Wednesday, April 1, President Uhuru Kenyatta apologised for the improper conduct of some members of the police service, even as he urged Kenyans to comply with directives meant to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Watch Mathia's interview below:

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