- A tense situation erupted on the Narok-Kisii highway after a bus rammed 40 sheep, leading to a fierce clash between the herdsmen and the police
- A police officer lost his left hand and suffered machete wounds during the riots, while his gun was stolen
- Local leader Sankok ole Lemwesi claimed the police were bribed to remove the sheep, prompting protests and blocking the road.
- The protest halted traffic on the Narok-Kisii road for several hours, causing panic among drivers, with some passengers missing their flights
Narok – Anxiety has spread along the Narok-Kisii highway following fierce clashes between herdsmen and police officers.
Source: UGC
In the incident on Friday, January 17, at least three people are feared dead, and one officer lost his left hand after a series of fights caused by a tragic incident the night before.
The violence started when a bus rammed at least 40 sheep in Duka Moja area on Thursday, January 16 evening.
Why Narok residents clashed with the police
The situation worsened when the police officers tasked with removing the corpses confronted the community members, causing chaos that lasted for several hours.
One officer received serious sword wounds during the protest that, which caused him to lose his left hand.
According to the reports of those who witnessed the incident, the officer was attacked by a group of angry people with knives and clubs.
The officer was airlifted to Nairobi for immediate treatment while efforts continue to recover his gun which was taken during the attack.
Sankok ole Lemwesi, a local community leader, expressed the frustration of the herders, claiming that the police had been bribed to remove the dead sheep.
“We encountered this problem the other evening, we were very angry because the police were allegedly bribed; we hear they were paid two million shillings to send our sheep to hyenas so that the case disappears.
As a community, we have decided that we will not reopen this road until our governor comes or Member of Parliament Ken (Ken Aramat, Member of Parliament for Narok East) comes to see the pain we are going through. Forty of our sheep were taken to hyenas by the police after being paid,” he said.
Narok East Member of Parliament Ken Aramat also criticized the police for what he called excessive use of force against the locals.
“This is not right, this is completely unacceptable. We stand with our people and say that the police have used excessive force,” Aramat said.
How the Narok protest disturbed the drivers
The protest brought the Narok-Kisii road to a standstill and left commuters stranded for hours.
Motorist David Okong'o, who was stuck in traffic for more than three hours, expressed frustration over the situation.
He questioned whether the animals were more important than the lives lost on the road, adding that some of his passengers missed their flights.
“I have been sitting here for about three hours, why do we protest when a sheep is hit, but when an accident happens and people die, there is no protest here, so sheep are more important than humans?” Right now, I have people boarding flights here in Nairobi who have been waiting and were supposed to leave at exactly 2:00 PM, and everything is late, considering there is still traffic,” he complained.
A high-level security operation is currently underway to search for those responsible for the brutal attack on the police officer and to recover the stolen gun.
A police officer is chased while helping a stranded tuk-tuk driver
In another tragic incident, a routine patrol on the Nairobi-Thika Superhighway turned tragic when a speeding car hit and killed Police Corporal James Mang'ulia Mutunga near Del Monte.
The officer was helping a stuck tuk-tuk when the vehicle swept him and the driver who was stuck on the road.
Corporal Mutunga was pronounced dead, while the tuk-tuk driver was in critical condition.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
