Drama ensued at a police roadblock in Mwangazain, Molo, after the officers reportedly deflated the tyres of a moving matatu.
According to eyewitness captured in video footage of the incident, police officers threw spikes across the road to bring the car to a stop.
The officers were conducting an operation to enforce Covid-19 enforcement measures when the incident happened.
“Did you have to risk the lives of all those passengers, couldn’t you have just taken down the registration number of the vehicle and taken it up from there?” one of the members of a crowd that had gathered at the roadblock was heard questioning the police.
The visibly incensed driver then confronted one police officer and accused him of endangering the lives of his passengers over what he claimed to be an attempt at soliciting for a bribe.
“Unataka kumamaliza watu (you want to kill them all), surely couldn’t you have just stopped the vehicle on the side of the road,” he asked.
On his part, the cop claimed to have been forced to take the extreme measure as the driver was attempting to flee as his vehicle operating beyond capacity in terms of the number of passengers.
“Alikuwa anakimbia ju alikuwa na abiria kumi na nane (he was trying to evade the roadblock as he had 18 passengers on board),” the officer explained to the angry crowd.
On November 5, Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutayambai urged police officers to strictly enforce Covid-19 protocols without fear or favour as was directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
However, the level of brute force meted out by the officers since then has raised questions and angered countless Kenyans.
On November 9, CCTV footage from newly opened entertainment joint, Quiver Lounge, situated along Thika Road, showed officers chasing and clobbering revelers who were scampering for safety during a raid.
The officers claimed to have been enforcing the directive by the President to have all bars closed by 9 p.m.
However, while speaking to the media, staff members of the popular bar argued that the police had a different agenda.
From the footage, police can be seen destroying equipment and utensils at the establishment during the rampage.
According to the staff, property worth Ksh 600,000 was damaged during the incident, that was reported at the Kasarani Police Station.
The latest incident where the traffic officers deflated the tyres of a matatu filled with passengers, is one of the many incidents that have occurred since the new orders were given by the Head of State.
SOURCE: https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/59215-police-vandalize-matatu-during-risky-operation-video
