A police officer is set to be charged with murder over the shooting of a factory worker in Riat, Homa Bay County.
Mr. Philip Kiloba Tissa was shot twice in the chest at the main gate of Sukari Industries, where he worked as a sugarcane loader.
Independent Policing Oversight Authority investigated the September 19, 2017 incident and recommended to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions that the officer be arraigned for the capital offence.
In agreement with the Authority, the ODPP noted: “Having carefully perused the investigation file submitted to us, we direct that the APC (Administration Police Officer) be charged with murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.”
On the material day, the officer together with his colleague had been deployed to reinforce private security sentries at the factory, an assignment that was to last from 6 am to 9am.
Some minutes after 6 am, as the factory workers assembled at the main gate to begin the day’s shift, a commotion started within the group.
One of the workers who was throwing stones at his colleagues ran into a nearby maize farm while another chased after him wielding a machete.
Minutes later the duo emerged from the farm; the armed worker was holding his colleague by the collar and holding the machete in other arm.
The two police officers who by now had responded to the commotion approached the two workers, ordering them to get down to the ground on their knees.
Soon afterwards, gunshots rent the air.
The investigation established the worker who was holding the machete survived the incident uninjured.