Police in Kisumu demos died of internal bleeding from tissue injuries
Police officers fire teargas to disperse protesters who tried to access the city centre during the Azimio coalition's anti-government protests in Kisumu on March 27, 2023.
A post-mortem conducted on the police officer who died in Kisumu during a protest called by the opposition had multiple tissue injuries and internal bleeding.
Government Pathologist Dixon Mchana noted that the 41-year-old officer who was stationed at Keroka Police Station in Nyamira County got a fracture on his upper right leg, hand and around the hip.
The post-mortem conducted on Tuesday indicated that Ben Oduor Odeyo died after suffering internal bleeding around his chest.
“As a result of my examination, I formed the opinion that the cause of death was as a result of circulatory collapse secondary to extensive mixed tissue injury following assault,” said part of the report seen by the Nation.
The exam was conducted at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital on Tuesday 4 by the Kakamega-based medical practitioner.
According to the police report, the corporal, who was among officers deployed to back up the team in Kisumu, was attacked by rowdy youths who pelted stones and other crude weapons at him.
“The deceased was seriously injured and died while undergoing treatment at Aga Khan Hospital,” said the report.
However, various witnesses have attributed the cause of death to a car accident as Oduor attempted to escape from the hostile crowd that was charging towards the officers.
“The car was leaving in a rush and the officers ran to refill their teargas canisters. Unfortunately, he missed a step and slipped while attempting to get to the front seat and the car ran over him and had his right leg badly injured,” said a witness.
He noted that the angry crowd scampered for safety when they realised his sorry state.
According to the witness, the officer lay on the ground for around 20 minutes before he was picked up and rushed to Aga Khan Hospital, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. He was pronounced dead at 10.15pm the same day.
Due to the impact of the vehicle, Oduor’s phone got completely shattered, said a family member who requested anonymity.
Former Nyanza Regional Police Commander Noah Mwivanda, however, had said the officer was hit by a stone on the chest by people who used a giant homemade catapult when officers attempted to stop a raid at Jamia Supermarket.
