One person was on Saturday, November 14, killed in a police chase gone wrong in Busia County.
The incident occurred while a police vehicle was chasing contraband along the Busia Nambale Road when it reportedly hit a boda boda on the road.
The rider succumbed prompting residents to protest the action by the police car.
The locals blocked the busy road by lighting bonfires causing a massive traffic snarl up on the route.
To disperse the protestors, police lobbed teargas canisters and engaged them in running battles.
Residents who spoke to journalists recalled that the boda boda rider was by the roadside when he was hit.
"The police vehicle was speeding and knocked the rider who was innocently on the road," one resident stated.
The protesters initially blocked police from collecting the body but after hours of confrontation, the rider's body was taken to Busia County Referral Hospital Mortuary.
The residents lamented the increased accidents involving pedestrians in the stretch of road.
Incidents of casualties resulting from police chases have been reported. In August 2020, one person was killed during a chase between a police car and a matatu.
The matatu was evading arrest when it sped-off and crashed into two pedestrians who were waiting to cross the road, killing one and leaving one injured.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has raised concerns over the increasing cases of road fatalities and boda boda operators.
