Malindi: Boda boda rider shot dead by drunken police officer

A Boda boda rider was shot and killed last night allegedly by a police officer.

Fellow riders who staged a protest in Malindi town say the rider had picked the armed officer as a passenger from the town to the nearby Malindi airport, where he was usually stationed.

An argument over the KSh50 fare ensued between the two, whereupon the officer whisked his weapon and shot the rider thrice in the head. He died on the spot. 

"Hii mambo ya dhuluma ya watu wa boda boda iishe," said Maurice Ochieng Peter, one of the riders. "Alikuwa anatafuta haki yake, shilingi hamsini alishe watoto wake." 

The protesting riders blocked a section of the Malindi-Mombasa road. Police officers had a rough time cooling the tempers, at one time shooting in the air to disperse the protestors.

The riders have called on the government to ensure justice for the bereaved family. The victim hailed from Mijomboni, Gede, Kilifi county.