Police extend Mumias gun search to cane farms

What you need to know:

  • An armed gang raided the Booker Police Station, located a short distance from the Mumias Sugar Company, and slashed a police officer on duty, injuring him seriously.

  • The gang is reported to have raided the station at about 4am, shortly after three police officers had left to respond to an emergency.

  • The attackers then broke into the armoury and stole the guns and bullets before escaping.

The search for seven guns and 180 bullets stolen from a police station in Kakamega County on Wednesday has been extended to the sugarcane farms.

Some 200 police officers, including the General Service Unit, were on Thursday combing sugarcane farms in Mumias Sub County to try and locate the arms stolen by an armed gang.

Police suspect the gang may have buried the weapon in cane farms.

Blockades have been mounted on almost all main roads in the region, with security officers conducting thorough searches on passengers and vehicles.

EXCESSIVE FORCE

Panicky residents of Mumias have accused GSU officers of using excessive force during the weapons hunt in their homes.

An armed gang raided the Booker Police Station, located a short distance from the Mumias Sugar Company, and slashed a police officer on duty, injuring him seriously.

The gang is reported to have raided the station at about 4am, shortly after three police officers had left to respond to an emergency.

The attackers then broke into the armoury and stole the guns and bullets before escaping.

Three colleagues of the injured police officer found him lying unconscious in a pool of blood with a deep axe cut on his head.

Regional Commissioner Mongo Chimwaga said police officers had earlier searched several homes in the nearby villages of Shibale, Lukoye, Mayoni and Shitukhumi but had not any recoveries.

INFORMATION APPEAL

“The operation for the recovery of the stolen guns will continue until the all the weapons are back in safe hands. We are leaving nothing to chance in our investigations and we will not rest until the suspects involved in the raid on the police post are arrested,” he said.

The administrator has appealed to the public to volunteer information to police to assist in the recovery of the arms.

Western region police chief Moses Ombati said police were following crucial leads in their search.

He said the arms hunt had been extended to the neighbouring counties of Vihiga, Bungoma, Siaya and Busia.