This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
On June 25, 2020, a tragic incident unfolded in Lessos, Nandi County, where a police officer's actions sparked chaotic protests.
A cobbler, who was also physically challenged, was shot dead by a police officer for allegedly not wearing a face mask.
According to reports, the incident triggered a series of running battles between area residents and the police, with the residents laying the body of the deceased on the Kapsabet-Eldoret road to protest the police's attempt to transfer it to the mortuary.
The visibly enraged residents then proceeded to the home of one of the senior police officers and burnt down the house.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has since launched investigations into the incident, with IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori stating, "...IPOA dispatched its Rapid Response Investigation team, which is already at the scene and has initiated investigations into the matter with a view of establishing how the shooting happened and if the force used was necessary."
"On conclusion of its investigations, the Authority will make appropriate recommendations if culpability is established. IPOA supports officers who undertake their work professionally but will not hesitate to take action, in accordance with its mandate, on the few who are found to break the same laws they are supposed to enforce," she added.
