Kisumu police arrest four suspects, recover pistol stolen during Raila’s burial

A pistol that was stolen from a police officer during the burial of Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga Sunday in Bondo, Siaya County was recovered and four suspects arrested in Kisumu.

This was almost 60 kilometers away from the scene of the incident.

The suspects were arrested on Saturday from a hideout in the Mbeme area, police said.

This followed intelligence the group was in the area and armed.

Detectives from Kasagam Police Station raided the hideout following a tip-off from members of the public and managed to recover the firearm during the operation.

The suspects were detained for interrogation pending arraignment, police said.

The loaded Jericho pistol was snatched from a constable of police attached to the Kakamega Governor Fernandez Baraza as he escorted him to his vehicle during the burial.

The constable of police attached to the General Service Unit at the Headquarters, Ruaraka, and currently attached to VIP Protection of the Kakamega Governor reported that he was robbed of the weapon at about 4.30 pm.

He was in the company of four other police officers and were leaving the ceremony at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) at the main gate when the weapon was snatched from him.

He said while boarding the Governor’s official vehicle, rowdy youth who had gathered around the Governor snatched his Jericho pistol loaded with 15 rounds from its holster and ran away from the scene.

Efforts to arrest and recover the stolen firearm were fruitless then because of the crowd.

Several other people complained of losing their property at the event.

Some of the those present had disguised as mourners as they embarked on a robbery spree.

More security personnel had to be mobilized and sent to the area to manage crowds that turned up for the event. Some of those who were locked out of the funeral event at the university turned rowdy and chaotic in the town robbing locals.

Others forced their way into Opoda Farm where the burial event was taking place and disrupted it for several minutes in the name of following cultural practices.

The military are among those that deployed special forces to the area to help in addressing the crowd.

More police are deployed in the area still to address security fears.