Embu health officer in hospital after assault by police officer
Mustafa Hamisi on October 7, 2019 at Runyenjes Sub-County Hospital in Embu County where he is undergoing treatment after he was allegedly assaulted by a policeman . PHOTO | GEORGE MUNENE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The victim, Mustafa Hamisi, is undergoing treatment at Runyenjes Sub-County Hospital.
- According to the witnesses the policeman confronted the officer and tried to arrest him over unknown reasons but he allegedly resisted.
- Runyenjes police boss Mr Benjamin Muhia denied that his officer was in the wrong.
A health officer is fighting for his life in hospital after he was allegedly assaulted by a policeman at Runyenjes market in Embu County.
The victim, Mustafa Hamisi, a psychologist, is undergoing treatment at Runyenjes Sub-County Hospital where he was rushed soon after the Sunday night attack.
According to witnesses, the policeman confronted the officer and tried to arrest him over unknown reasons but he allegedly resisted.
It was then that the law enforcer who was in the company of two of his colleagues allegedly set upon Mr Hamisi with kicks and blows, sending him sprawling to the ground.
RESISTED ARREST
"The policeman accused the medic of resisting arrest and badly injured him," one of the witnesses said.
After the attack, Mr Hamisi was taken to the local police station and locked up but was taken to hospital when his condition worsened.
At the hospital, complained of abdominal and chest pains and vowed to sue the assailant when he recovers from injuries inflicted on him.
But Runyenjes Police Boss Benjamin Muhia denied that his officer was on the wrong.
OFFICER INJURED
"The policeman was arresting Mr Hamisi when he turned violent and attacked him and a fight broke out. In the scuffle, the policeman had his two teeth knocked out and is also admitted to Kieni Hospital," Mr Muhia explained.
The police boss dismissed claims that Mr Hamisi was tortured in police cells.
"The fight took place outside the police station and the question of torture does not arise," he added.
The local Kenya National Union of Nurses Branch Secretary Joseph Ngwasi condemned the attack and called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to get to the bottom of the matter.
He denied that Mr Hamisi, who is an employee of the Embu County government, had resisted arrest.
"The medic is crying for justice and the policeman who brutally wounded him should be apprehended and prosecuted. We even suspect that the officer was drunk during the incident," said Mr Ngwasi.
