Turkana Senator John Munyes shot in the hip as bodyguard’s gun misfires

Turkana Senator John Munyes is moved to an ambulance after he landed at Wilson Airport from Turkana on September 8, 2014. “After the accident, I was driven really fast to board the plane because I was bleeding badly and I could feel every pothole,” he said. PHOTO | BILLY MUTAI |

By  OUMA WANZALA  &  Sammy Lutta

What you need to know:

  • The gun discharged a bullet accidentally. The bullet hit a metal object and bounced back, hitting the senator in the hip.
  • The bodyguard was sitting behind the senator in a car at the time of the accident.

Turkana Senator John Munyes was on Monday admitted to Nairobi Hospital after his bodyguard accidentally shot him on Sunday.

A bullet was lodged in his left hip.

Mr Munyes, who spent Sunday night at Lodwar District Hospital in Turkana, was airlifted to Nairobi Hospital for surgery to remove the bullet.

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He arrived at Wilson Airport aboard a private jet at midday and was taken to Nairobi Hospital by a Kenya Red Cross ambulance.

Mr Munyes was part of a peace delegation to Ethiopia comprising, among others, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok and county police commander Emmanuel Karisa.

Turkana North MP Christopher Nakuleu and members of the Turkana County Assembly were also part of the delegation.

The accident happened at Loarengak in Turkana North when the senator stopped to talk to Mr Nakuleu.

BODYGUARD REMORSEFUL

Cord leader Raila Odinga visited the senator, who is also the Ford-Kenya secretary-general, an hour after he was admitted to Nairobi Hospital.

“I have been here to visit Mr Munyes, who was involved in a shooting incident, and I have talked to him as well as doctors attending to him and they have assured us that he will be fine,” said Mr Odinga, who was accompanied by Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu.

Dr Simiyu said the senator was shot accidentally and that the bodyguard was remorseful because he had no intention of harming the former Cabinet minister.

“He was in Turkana for three days of peace building, and given the area is high-risk, their guns were cocked,” said Dr Simiyu.

The gun discharged a bullet accidentally. The bullet hit a metal object and bounced back, hitting the senator in the hip.

The bodyguard was sitting behind the senator in a car at the time of the accident.

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