County officers on the spot for assaulting driver

Four Uasin Gishu County enforcement officers are on the spot after they allegedly assaulted a driver of a tours and travel company in Eldoret town.

The driver, 29-year old Josephat Chirchir, says he sustained serious injuries after one of the officers bit off his left ear over claims that he obstructed their work.

He was rushed to the Uasin Gishu County District Hospital after the incident where he was put on HIV prevention medication for 72 hours.

Speaking to Nation.co.ke after being discharged from the hospital, Mr Chirchir said that he was driving on Oginga Odinga Street on Wednesday when a boda boda operator rider hit his car from behind.

“I came out of the vehicle to inquire what was happening, only to realize that scores of boda boda operators were being rounded up by the County enforcement officers for operating within the central business district illegally,” said Mr Chirchir.

He said that no sooner had he started to engage the boda boda rider over the incident than the enforcement officers confronted him with kicks and blows accusing him of interfering with their work.

Mr Chirchir said that it was during the chaotic scene that one of the enforcement officers floored him to the ground and bit off his left ear as members of the public watched the drama from a distance.

“When the officers realized their mistake, they bundled me into their vehicle and sped off for a kilometer from the scene before dumping me along one of the streets in town,” added the shocked Chirchir.

He said that despite pleading with the officers to rush him to the hospital since he was bleeding profusely from the ear injury, they refused to heed to his call and instead abandoned him on the street and sped off.

“I was forced to call my lawyer Michael Masinde who intervened and organized for means to take me to the hospital where my injured ear was stitched before I was put on HIV prevention medication,” he said.

Mr Masinde said that he had filed an application in court to issue direction to the Eldoret Police Station OCS to investigate the manner and conduct under which the accused person was arrested.

“We want investigations launched into this matter and also prefer charges if they see that there was a criminal act that was conducted within the investigations then appropriate action will be taken against the arresting officer,” said Masinde.