Keroka OCPD Patterson Maole has denied that a traffic police officer caused an accident that took place on Monday last week.
Maole said the alleged police officer only impounded the Nissan matatu Nyosia area near Kegati, and the driver lost control while driving it to Keroka police station causing the accident after hurriedly taking over a bump at Kisumu Ndogo market at Keroka town centre.
He also denied assault allegations mounted on the police officers against the driver of the impounded vehicle.
The Masaba North district police boss asked anyone with issues against the police in that particular incident, to report it to the police so that investigations can be launched to establish the authenticity of the allegations.
Maole said that the police officers are only mandated to drive a vehicle if the driver runs away in a crackdown.
“The driver of a Nissan Matatu plying Kisii-Kericho route had hit a woman at Nyosia before he was arrested by traffic police officers," he said.
"It is purely false that the traffic police officer who confiscated the vehicle was driving it to the station during the accident. Also, allegations that police officers assaulted the driver are unfounded but if anyone has an issue or evidence should report to the police for and action to be taken against the perpetrator.”
He added: “We are in good rapport with matatu operators and therefore, allegations that there is cold war between us is mere speculation. We usually solve any emerging issues between us and the matatu sector leaders and therefore we don’t have any wrangles.”
According to Samuel Nyabeni, one of the survivors in the impounded vehicle, the police officers arrested the driver of the vehicle before assaulting him.
He said the police officers were on their way from Kisii where they had ferried detainees for remanding, when they encountered them in the scene of the accident and called on traffic police officers who are usually in charge of happenings in the transport sector.
Nyabeni, who is also driver operating at Keroka-Ramasha route, has appealed to the government to take action against the police officer who caused the accident and those who go beyond their mandate.
“I can see the traffic police officer still on duty yet he is the one who caused the accident and should be arraigned in court. Such officers should neither be spared by the law because no police officer should drive the vehicle impounded,” said the victim.
He sustained thigh injuries, while four others who were in the ill-fated vehicle including the driver (traffic police officer) escaped with minor injuries, except Jared Nyapeni, who is the owner of the vehicle who sustained critical injuries and he is recuperating at Tenwek Mission Hospital.
The incident happened one and half weeks away, after another lorry that was allegedly driven by a traffic police officer lost control near Kisii town, killing two students of Gusii Institute of Technology.