Family seeks justice for pupil shot by police in Eldoret during scramble for wheet

A goods train approaches Eldoret Town. A family in Eldoret is seeking justice after their son was allegedly shot and seriously wounded by a police officer who shot in the air to disperse a crowd that was scrambling for wheat from a derailed train. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The boy was shot in the back by a police officer from Railways Police Post on October 14, 2016.
  • Police were forced to shoot live bullets in order to disperse the residents and it was then that the pupil was hit by a stray bullet.
  • The father, however, says he wants the police to explain why they shot his son.
  • The incident has forced the boy to miss his school exams and stay at home to nurse his injuries.

A family in Eldoret is seeking justice after their son was allegedly shot and seriously wounded by a police officer few days ago.

The family of the primary school pupil in Uasin Gishu County, wants the government to compensate them for the injuries sustained by their son, whom they say is now currently incapacitated and is unable to do many things that normal people do.

The boy was allegedly shot in the back by a police officer from Railways Police Post on October 14, 2016.

He is believed to be among residents who scrambled for wheat from a train that had veered off the railway line.

Police were forced to shoot live bullets in order to disperse the residents and it was then that the pupil was hit by a stray bullet which ripped through his back and went out through his stomach, nearly killing him.

“I had gone to look for my friends and I saw a crowd scrambling for wheat, then police started shooting and I took off. That is when I felt a sharp pain in my back and I fell down,” said Rahman.

HELP FROM WELL-WISHERS

Speaking to the Nation on Tuesday, his father said the family had to seek for help from well-wishers to save his son’s life after he was admitted to hospital where he had been rushed by a Good Samaritan.

The father, however, says he wants the police to explain why they shot his son.

He says he has walked into many government offices seeking justice for his son but to no avail.

“I am yet to understand why he was shot in the first place. No one seems to care that my son was shot by a police officer who still goes around free,” he said.

The incident has forced the boy to miss his school exams and stay at home to nurse his injuries.

Sheikh Abubakar Bini, the chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims in the region, visited the family and called on the government and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) to investigate the incident immediately.

“Police who are paid to protect us are the ones who are harming us.

“I want to tell the government to immediately investigate [the matter] and the officer behind the shooting be arrested or else we us the Muslim leaders will look for legal ways to ensure the boy gets justice,” said Sheikh Bini.