Senior leaders from the National Police Service (NPS), including Inspector General Douglas Kanja and the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Amin Mohamed, had to stay in their helicopter for over an hour on Tuesday after landing in Ang’ata Barikoi, Trans Mara, Narok County.
The situation was tense because there were worries that the leaders might be treated badly by the locals. This followed an incident on Monday when five people were shot by officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) during a land dispute.
The residents had taken over 6,300 acres of land that they said was being taken away by a powerful local politician, even though it was given to them by former President Daniel Arap Moi.
Photos and videos showed the police helicopter just sitting there after it landed, waiting for the meeting about security to start. The locals had already chased away many GSU officers who had been sent to watch over the area until the police leaders arrived.
It was reported that Johana Ng’eno, the Emurua Dikir MP, tried to help resolve the situation but ended up speaking with the locals without the police chiefs.
He arrived after the locals insisted that he should come with local leaders before the meeting on security could happen.
On Monday, there was a lot of drama as Ng’eno was filmed confronting police officers during the clashes over land ownership.
In the video, he bravely approached the officers who seemed ready to take action and questioned why they were using too much force against the protesters.
Others who were supposed to attend the security meeting included Isaac Ruto, a former governor of Bomet and Vice-Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), and Senate Majority Leader Aron Cheruiyot.
Murkomen confirmed on Tuesday that investigations were ongoing to find out what happened leading to the violent clashes between the authorities and the people.
The clashes resulted in five people losing their lives, and it was also reported that at least five police officers were seriously injured, allegedly by the civilians.
