Piece by: CYRUS OMBATI

24 October 2023

•The officer was trying to stop a mob from lynching a suspect when his rifle discharged a bullet hitting the boy in the abdomen, police said.

A 15-year-old boy was shot by a Police Officer as he tried to quell a mob that was lynching a suspect in Ngong Town, Kajiado County.

The officer was trying to stop a mob from lynching a suspect when his rifle discharged a bullet hitting the boy in the abdomen, police said.

According to witnesses, a suspect had been chased and cornered by a mob that accused him of attempting murder.

The suspect had been in a fight with another man in Mathare area of the town leaving him with three stab wounds.

He then tried to escape the scene prompting a mob to attack him with stones and sticks.

It was then that the officer who was on patrol intervened in effort to save him and fired one round using his AK47 rifle.

A witness said the bullet hit the boy, flooring him as the mob dispersed.

It was then the suspect, the one who had been stabbed and the boy were picked up and rushed to hospital.

The suspect was treated and discharged from Ngong Sub County Hospital while the boy and the first victim were referred to Kenyatta National Hospital for further treatment.

Officials said the victims were in stable but serious condition.

It was then the constable of police was disarmed and arrested.

Police said they planned to charge him in court over the shooting amid threats from locals to stage a protest.

Cases of misuse of official weapons by state agents are on the rise amid calls to tame the trend.

Meanwhile, police in Meru are investigating the shooting of a man in Lowangila area.

Police who were on patrol heard a gunshot and went to check the scene and established one David Changi Ngala aged 20 had been shot by an unknown gang armed with rifles on his left knee while opening the door of his house.

The victim was rushed to Isiolo County Referral Hospital where he was admitted in fair condition.

The motive of the shooting was not known, police said adding no arrest was made.

The incident is under probe. The area is prone to cattle rustlers’ attacks and police say they have intensified operations to stop the trend.