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Six killed by armed raiders
THE STANDARD
Story by GEORGE OMONSO
Publication Date: 4/25/2007
Six people have been killed in a district bordering clash-torn Mt Elgon zone.
Three of those killed were frogmarched to a road at Kinyoro trading centre in Trans Nzoia District with their hands tied and then shot dead.
Two others, who had been in the company of the three, escaped with gunshot wounds and were yesterday admitted to Kitale District Hospital following in the Monday night attack.
The raiders who struck at 9.30pm while dressed in police uniform, are believed to have crossed over from the trouble-hit Mt Elgon District.
The three who were shot dead were used clothes traders, who had travelled to the centre in readiness for the market day yesterday.
A local resident, Mr Martin Wechuli, who talked to Nation at the scene, 15 kilometres from Kitale Town, said the heavily armed killers posed as policemen during the attack.
“At first we believed they were police officers. But later the group that was armed with AK-47 rifles started ransacking houses dragging some of the inhabitants from their houses, beating them up and demanding money and mobile telephones,” a shaken Mr Wechuli said.
The killings came three weeks after similar executions at Kapsokwony, the headquarters of Mt Elgon District, where inter-clan wars have led to loss of more than 140 lives.
The first to be killed in Monday’s attack was a tractor driver Joseph Barasa, 50. The gangsters entered his house after posing as police officers in search for illicit brews.
“We had just taken supper when they came knocking, claiming they were police officers. To our surprise, they were demanding mobile phones and money,” said a survivor Geoffrey Barasa, the elder son to Mr Barasa.
Another victim of the killing was Morris Wanjala, a carpenter, who had just taken supper with his family of three when the raiders struck. His niece Rose Nekesa said three raiders entered the room and demanded money from his uncle. But when he said he had none, they turned on him with kicks and blows.
Five mitumba (used clothes) traders who had arrived from Saboti shopping centre expecting to attend yesterday’s market day were the next to be raided.
Two of the traders who survived the deaths - Benson Karanja and Vincent Kamau
- escaped with bullet wounds and were yesterday fighting for their lives at Kitale District Hospital.
“We had just arrived in our pick-up vehicle and were arranging how we could go and sleep ahead of today’s market day (yesterday) when they came and demanded mobile phones and money from us,” Mr Karanja said.
He went on: “After we surrendered what we had, they tied our hands and then frog-marched us to the main road where they opened fire,” Mr Karanja said at his hospital bed after a narrow escape.
The Kitale medical superintendent, Mr N. Wakwabubi, confirmed five bodies had been taken to Kitale District Hospital mortuary.
Yesterday, Rift Valley provincial police boss Everet Wasige accompanied by Kitale deputy police chief Eliud Okello, local district criminal investigation officer Issa Mohammed visited the scene and immediately assured residents that security had been beefed up in the area.
Area MP Davies Nakitare condemned the killings and asked Internal Security minister John Michuki to beef up security in the
area.
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