A boda boda operator who was travelling to Isiolo died in a grisly road accident while running from the police.
The rider passed away on the night of Friday, March 27 after colliding with a lorry in Maili Saba in Meru County.
A report by the Daily Nation on Sunday, March 29, indicates that the rider rammed into an oncoming lorry while trying to escape from the police who were in hot pursuit in a police vehicle.
According to a fellow rider who had been with the deceased, the incident had occurred around 8.30 p.m. and was the consequence of a police chase that the two were the targets of.
“The police vehicle was chasing us and while the deceased was dropping the passenger, it blocked him from the front,” stated the boda boda operator who witnessed the accident.
Residents who heard the resounding bang from the collision rushed to the scene but were barred by police officers from approaching the body.
Joseph Asugo, the Buuri Sub-county Police Commander while confirming the rider's death stated that the rider had died at 6.30 p.m. and not 8.30 pm as had been claimed.
“He was knocked while getting into the highway from a feeder road around 6:30 p.m. and died on the spot,” stated Asugo.
Residents in Isiolo have flagged harassment by police officers tasked with enforcing the curfew.
Anne Makori, the chairperson of the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) made a public statement on Saturday, March 22, on police conduct during the curfew.
She asked that police must exercise restraint while enforcing the curfew.
"Police shall first use non-violent means. Force shall be proportionate. Death, serious injuries shall be reported immediately to IPOA. Failure to report is an offence. Following orders is no excuse for unlawful use of force," Makori warned.
The statement followed the chaos that characterised the first night of the dusk-to-dawn curfew on Friday, March 27.
