Residents of Migori held protests seeking justice for the death of a female high school student who was run over by a police van that was pursuing bhang smugglers along the Migori-Kisii highway
According to witnesses, the police van drove through a group of students on Monday, February 20, killing one instantly and severely injuring two others who were rushed to a nearby hospital.
A pedestrian was also injured as a result of the accident and was rushed to Migori Referral Hospital.
Narrating the incident, the residents stated that the high school students were walking to school on Monday morning when the speeding police vehicle passed a roadblock and drove toward them.
However, the individuals suspected of smuggling bhang were not apprehended. They escaped to a nearby sugarcane plantation amidst the confusion.
During the protests that spilled over to Tuesday, Police officers were forced to fire in the air after they were overwhelmed by hundreds of residents who were throwing stones at vehicles that passed by the scene causing a traffic snarl up for more than one hour.
"We want to know if traffic rules do not apply to the police because the students were walking on a wide road when they were run over by the police vehicle.
"It is unfortunate that police officers resorted to firing guns and teargas which affected most students," Walter Nyambogo, a teacher at Lwala Mixed Secondary School stated.
In an attempt to contain the chaos as a result of the protest, Local MCA Graham Kagali assured the residents that the police officers involved would be apprehended.
"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," Kagali stated.
Migori County Police Commander Mark Wanjala, on the other hand, termed the incident as unfortunate adding that they were unable to collect evidence at the scene because of the protest.
"The students tried to stop the police who went there to collect evidence. Nobody is above the law and we will launch investigations," Wanjala stated.
