At least three cops from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were seriously injured during the arrest of suspects accused of murdering two youths at Opondo area in Kasipul Constituency, last week.
This comes ahead of the by-election for the Kasipul parliamentary seat.
The three officers, including the DCI Officer in Charge of Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Daniel Muhuhi, were injured by armed goons while arresting the suspects at the homestead of the late former Kasipul MP, Ong’odo Were, in Kachien Village, Central Kasipul Ward.
Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koilem said the officers were attacked at the former MP’s homestead, where the suspects had been hiding.
Koilem explained that the operation was launched after police tracked the suspects to Kosele Trading Centre. The suspects fled and sought refuge in the late Were’s homestead.
The officers pursued them to the homestead, where they managed to arrest five suspects. However, before they could leave, a crowd of over 100 youths stormed the compound.
Koilem said the rowdy youths assaulted the police officers with crude weapons in an attempt to prevent the arrests. During the confrontation, three officers, including DCI Officer Daniel Muhuhi and two others, sustained injuries.
In the chaos, the five suspects who had been arrested managed to escape, with one fleeing while still in handcuffs.
The injured officers were rushed to Rachuonyo South Sub-County Hospital for treatment. Koilem said police have launched a manhunt to rearrest the escaped suspects.
The two were killed in a clash between two groups in chaos at Oyugis. Police said they were pursuing the suspects in both incidents.
Tension is building up in the area ahead of the by elections amid heightened police operations.
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