A man is recuperating at a hospital after police allegedly pushed out of a speeding car for failing to comply with the police demand for Sh10,000 bribe.
Wesley Bosuben, 31, is at the Litein AIC Mission hospital in Kericho County where he has undergone surgery in the left lower leg following injuries sustained in the incident.
He claimed police on patrol had demanded a Sh10,000 bribe from him and businessman – Mr Robert Mutai – who was also arrested.
The six police officers were on patrol at Kipkoibet trading centre.
Bundled into police car
“The police officers stopped us outside an eatery after we closed the business for the day at around 9pm on Tuesday last week and bundled us into a waiting police land cruiser registration GKB 980T,” said Mr Bosuben who is employed by a butchery operator in the trading centre.
A doctor at the facility who did not want to be named said; “He was brought in with multiple leg fractures and he has undergone an operation and another one is due in two weeks. He claims to have been thrown out of a moving vehicle leading to the injuries.”
He has accrued a bill of Sh50,000 having paid Sh20,000 on admission and he is charged Sh2,500 daily for bed and medication.
“I cannot afford to pay the bill which is increasing by the day as I am an orphan and I do not have a National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover,” said Mr Bosuben.
He claimed the police officers on patrol were driving around the centre rounding up residents and demanding bribes. Angry residents confronted the police to demand for an explanation for their action.
“As a result of the confrontation, the officers lobbed teargas canisters at the crowd and drove off from the scene. After about half a kilometer, they threw us out of the speeding vehicle with handcuffs on.”
Drunk
Konoin Divisional Police Commander Alex Shikondi however said the man jumped out of a moving vehicle in a bid to escape from custody after being arrested alongside four others for being drunk and disorderly.
“Police on patrol arrested a number of youths at Kipkoibet trading centre and while on their way to the station, they found the road barricaded by youths who pelted the police car with stones. The officers fired several in the air to disperse the youths,” said Mr Shikondi.