During an emotional hearing of the late Baby Samantha Pendo inquiry, her mother, Lenser Achieng’ recollected the night of terror when she gushed out of the house half naked holding her baby.
The night when she visited four hospitals on foot while covering herself in a bed-sheet to find medical care for her injured Samantha.
The ill-fated night when she begged police to help her rush her injured daughter to hospital aboard their van but they rudely sent her away.
Testifying before Resident Magistrate Beryl Omolo at the Kisumu High Court, Achieng’ revealed that around midnight on the 12th of August 2017, they were work-up by painful cries of a neighbors whom she alleged police were beating to death.
She narrated to the court that on that night, police landed outside their house and ordered them to open their door before they kick it in.
As they hesitated on whether to or not to open the door, Achieng’ who broke into sobs said that a teargas canister through an opening, was logged inside their house where their two daughters were sound asleep.
“We almost chocked to death. To make it worse when we tried to open the door to escape the killer gas, we found the door was locked from outside,” Achieng’ stated.
Achieng' narrated that when they managed to get outside the house after a gruesome struggle with the door, his husband was attacked by the uniformed officers who descended on him with hefty clubs, after which they beat her up.
“I was attacked with two officers who clobbered me despite surrendering. I covered my baby from the blows using my left arm. One of them attacked me from behind and when I turned to see who that was, the one in front hit Samantha whom I was holding on my chest,”she explained.
According to her testimony, foam begun to gush out of the six months old’s mouth while her left side of the head got incredibly swollen after the beating.
“They then asked my husband to perform first aid on her and soon after they had left, a neighbor offered to help me take her to hospital alongside my brother in-law who offered a bicycle,” she stated.
While only covering herself with a bed-sheet, She stated that they rushed to Milimani and Oasis hospitals which they found closed.
After trying several other hospitals, Aga Khan hospital received the baby , administers first aid and later admitted her in the facility.
Following Achieng's testimony, the resident magistrate directed that he hearings adjourn until Friday when the next witnesses will deliver their testimonies.
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