Three police officers were injured and a motorcycle was set ablaze after a multi-agency team conducting a crackdown on illicit alcohol was attacked by villagers in Kakamega South Sub-County.
The incident occurred on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at Buyemi village in Mukongolo Sub-Location, Musoli Location, during an operation targeting illegal brewing, police said.
According to Western police boss George Sedah, a team of officers from the National Government Administrative Officers and other multi-agency security agencies began the operation at about 7:30am and raided the homestead of a local man described by police as a suspected chang’aa brewer.
The team recovered 10 litres of chang’aa and destroyed approximately 3,500 litres of kangara, a substance used in the manufacture of illicit alcohol.
Trouble began after a son of the brewer resisted arrest and raised an alarm, prompting villagers to converge on the scene.
Police said the crowd attacked the officers using crude weapons, including pangas, rungus, axes and stones.
The officers fired warning shots as they attempted to repel the attack, but three officers sustained injuries.
The officers were taken to hospital, where they were treated and discharged in fair condition.
Police later established that one of them had sustained an injury around the hip joint during the confrontation. He was admitted to Mukumu Mission Hospital, where he was reported to be in fair condition.
During the incident, a red TVS 100 motorcycle belonging to one of the officers was set ablaze.
Police have launched investigations into the attack and the destruction of the officer’s motorcycle.
This comes amid sustained operations targeting illicit brew dens and other drug traffickers. Police headquarters has ordered sustained operations at all levels to address the menace.
This has seen a recovery of thousands of liters of the brew and tones of bhang among other drugs.
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