A senior Uasin Gishu enforcement officer facing charges of assault against a trader !
-Among the cases is a robbery with violence case involving a senior enforcement officer charged with robbing a matatu operator more than Sh500,000-
Victims of Kanju's brutality, some nursing serious injuries in their private parts.
A senior Uasin Gishu County officer is facing serious charges in an Eldoret Court for assaulting a butcher during a crackdown on banned plastic bags.
This comes amid an uproar by a section of Uasin Gishu residents and Human Rights groups over brutality meted out to traders, bodaboda riders, street urchins among others by county enforcement officers in the past few months .
Eldoret Principal Magistrate Mogire Onkoba found Jeremiah Cheruiyot Kipruto, enforcement officer from the department of Public health with a case to answer in relation to an assault case launched by a local trader from Kipkaren estate.
Mr Kipruto has been battling with the charge since May 2019.
The charge sheet stated that on May 15, 2019 at Kipkaren estate in Kapsaret Sub County the accused attacked Albert Chabaka Onitita, a butcher man when he was found wrapping meat in a banned polythene bag.
Prosecution told the court that the incident occurred during the crackdown on the banned bags.
The court heard that the accused, who was in the company of eight other county officials, attacked the trader before subjecting him to grievous bodily harm.
Medical reports available in court indicate that the complainant incurred several injuries on the chest and knees after the accused allegedly landed on him with kicks and blows.
The accused denied the charge and was released on bond.
He was also accused of misusing his powers as an employee of the county.
On Monday he was put on his defence where he produced in court two witnesses who defended him against the accusations.
The witnesses who included a public health officer Alfred Kemboi and a senior finance officer Titus Rono exonerated their boss from any wrongdoings terming the charges as framed.
Mr Kemboi told the court that as county enforcement officers they have always experienced hostility from members of the public.
He told the court that the complainant was injured after falling down when he was trying to escape arrest by county officers.
“The injuries that the complainant had were as a result of bruises he inflicted after falling down on tarmac road when he was running away from us as we attempted to interrogate him on banned plastic bags in his shop,” Mr Kemboi told the court.
Mr Kipruto is alleged to have forcefully entered into the said butchery before a confrontation ensued.
The court has directed defence to present their written submission in two weeks’ time.
The case will be mentioned on August 25.
There are more than five similar cases against county officers who are accused of attacking traders in Eldoret town.
Among the cases is a robbery with violence case involving a senior enforcement officer who is charged with robbing a matatu operator more than Sh500,000 during an operation by county enforcement officers.
The most recent one is a case where a senior enforcement officer is facing charges of threatening to kill a senior Resident Magistrate.
All the cases are still active in court.
Following the incidents Centre Against Torture Executive Director Kimutai Kirui has appealed to the DPP to order investigations into cases where traders in Eldoret are being assaulted by people suspected to be county enforcement officers.
According to Mr Kirui, more than 100 people have been brutally attacked and injured by enforcement officers in the course of their business in the last one year.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii has since ordered that all enforcement officers on duty must be in full uniform and urged traders and members of the public to report rogue officers who often use excessive force
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