Agony of family left with Sh250k hospital bill after kin was ‘accidentally’ shot in police cells
On the evening of Friday February 22, Kennedy Onyango together with five other men were arrested by Administration Police from Dandora.
They were allegedly found smoking bhang. But by the time they got to the AP camp, only two suspects were left.
The other three bought their freedom. The AP officers were allegedly asking for Sh5,000 to release them.
So, Onyango and the other man spent the night at the AP camp instead of the Dandora police station which is just a few kilometres away.
The law dictates that if a person is arrested, they are supposed to be booked in the Occurrence Book (OB) before being kept in the Cell.
Administration Police do not have an OB at their offices or camp.
If an AP office arrests a suspected criminal, they are required to take them to the nearest police station to be booked.
Onyango spent the night at the AP camp and was only transferred to Dandora Police station on Saturday in the evening.
‘ACCIDENTALLY SHOT’
His family went to the police station on Sunday to deliver breakfast. It is here they learnt their son was “accidentally” shot inside the cells.
“We came in the morning and were told we can’t see our son. We were asked to wait for the OCS,” said Collins Ouma, Onyango’s father
“‘Pole sana, your son was shot accidentally in the cell’. That is what the OCS told me,” said Mr Ouma.
That Sunday, the police took Onyango to Mama Lucy hospital where he only received first aid before he was transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital.
He has admitted at the KNH since February 24 where doctors removed a bullet from his thigh.
On Thursday evening, Onyango was discharged and the police took him to Dandora police station.
The family has been left to clear a bill of Sh250,000 for the surgery their son underwent in order to remove the bullet.
“They told me they will take him to Makadara law court in the morning (Friday). The family was at Makadara law court early on Friday morning. I have just called and I was told they are not bringing him here( Makadara law court) again,” said Ouma.
NO PLEA
Nairobi News has learnt that the court has refused to have him take a plea because the police detained him for more than a month.
Sources close to the investigations said the police now want to charge him with robbery with violence.
The family has been asking for the OB number all in vain.
“I’m afraid if he has not been booked, anything can happen to him. If they can shoot him inside their cell, they can do anything to him,” said his Ouma.