Busia man dies during police recruitment drive
A police officer conducts physical exams on a group of youths who had turned up for recruitment at Mvita Grounds in Mombasa in May 2017.
Panic has gripped the Busia stadium after one person died during the police recruitment drive.
Johnston Elijah Ochieng, 26, collapsed after finishing four laps around the pitch. Police medics on standby could not resuscitate him.
Wilson Otieno, Mr Ochieng’s elder brother, said he started off the run well but his pace started slowing after the third lap.
He said Mr Ochieng, who was a third-year student at Mount Kenya University, had no known health problems and had prepared well for the recruitment.
The family was yet to come to terms with the loss.
“My brother prepared well for the recruitment. He has been training for the last one week. I was with him yesterday and in the morning, I came here to give him moral support,” Mr Otieno said.
“He managed to complete the four laps, but he could not even stand after finishing the race.
“Police tried to apply first aid, and he showed some signs of improvement, but he could not stand nor walk. That is when we rushed him to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead.”
They rushed him to Busia Referral Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The body was taken to the St Francis mortuary in Busia.
The ongoing recruitment drive seeks to add 5,000 officers to the service.
