Six policemen in hospital after violent confrontation with youths at Finlays
A section of a James Finlay tea farm in Kericho: A violent confrontation between the police and hundreds of youths at the firm's estate in Bomet has injured six officers.
What you need to know:
- In today's incident, one suspect is reported to have drowned in Itare River, Konoin Constituency, as he fled from police officers who were dispersing youths from the tea estate.
- The confrontation between the police and farm invaders is the second such incident in a month.
Six police officers are admitted in hospital after they were attacked Monday by more than 200 youths who were illegally harvesting tea at a James Finlay farm in Bomet County. The confrontation between the police and farm invaders is the second such incident in a month after a similar one left a police officer with deep cuts on his head in April.
In today's incident, one suspect is reported to have drowned in Itare River, Konoin Constituency, as he fled from police officers who were dispersing youths from Chemasingi tea estate in Chepchabas civic ward.
Another youth, a 16-year-old boy, is also admitted at Kericho County Referral Hospital after a live bullet fired by police ripped through his abdomen and exited through the back, narrowly missing his internal organs.
“Two of the six police officers who sustained injuries are in a bad state. They were rushed to Chebitet Health Centre and Central Hospital owned by Ekattera tea company before being transferred to Kericho County Referral Hospital for specialised treatment,” Mr Mathews Mangira, the Bomet County Police Commander said.
A police vehicle was also torched and reduced to ashes by the youths.
“The Toyota Landcruiser attached to Mogogosiek police divisional headquarters in Konoin has been towed to Mara Mara police station,” Mr Mangira said, adding that no arrests have been made so far.
However, he said, officers from the Criminal Investigations Department are hunting them down.
Farm invasion
According to a police report seen by Nation.Africa, 14 police officers on patrol within the estate on Monday were ambushed by the youths who had invaded the plantation to illegally harvest the green leaf.
“The youths were armed with crude weapons including stones, slingshots, pangas, catapults, and wooden sticks,” the police report reads.
It states that the officers fired teargas in a bid to disperse them. The policemen retreated after exhausting the teargas in their possession, but were surrounded by youths who erected barricades on the road.
“As they (policemen) diverted to a different route, their vehicle skidded into tea bushes and got stuck in mud. The attackers caught up with the officers and began pelting them with stones, resulting in injuries and forcing them to withdraw with the help of Finlays company vehicles, leaving behind the patrol car,” the report states.
It also states that a total of 52 live ammunition were used by police in the course of dispersing the youths.
“The police vehicle was vandalised with two wheels and a battery stolen by the rowdy youths who torched it afterwards,” Mr Mangira said in a telephone interview.
