Four families in Nakuru County are now demanding answers after their kin were shot by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for allegedly fishing in Lake Nakuru.
Sammy Njenga, Obedi Luka, Alvin Williams and Barack Obama are reportedly nursing gunshot injuries from their encounter with the officers on Sunday.
They are currently admitted at Nakuru County Level 6 Hospital pending surgery to remove the bullets.
Their distraught mothers could not hide their pain as they demanded answers on why their children were attacked yet they were allegedly not fishing, just sight seeing.
“My son was sitting on the rocks outside. When he saw the officers shooting, he jumped and ran inside to me. Upon reaching the gate, he was shot,” Beatrice Achieng, mother to 15-year-old Barack Obama narrated.
Lilian Wanga, mother to 17-year-old Obedi Luka, recalled how she came across four young men lying on the ground.
“I heard gun shots and hid away. When all was quiet, I came out of hiding and found four lying on the ground. My son had been shot in the leg,” she recalled.
Luka sustained a gunshot wound in the left thigh. His mother claimed the officers circled the area in three land cruisers as they fired live shots. Bullet holes were visible on their gate.
Sammy Njenga’s mother Faith Wambui, defended him saying he could not have been fishing as he did not even have the proper attire or tools for that.
“They were not fishing. My son was wearing a short and a t-shirt, just like friends visiting each other. They were taken from there,” Wambui was quoted as saying.
Speaking from the hospital, Alvin Williams shared a similar experience of how he was rounded up.
“It was evening, and I decided to go see how far the lake had risen. Around 4 PM, I met my friend Dickie, who had been shot by the officers. When it began to rain, I went to a neighbor’s house for shelter. Suddenly, the officers started shooting,” he narrated.
Area Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Arama expressed disappointment in the KWS officers for firing live rounds instead of arresting the teenagers and charging them.
“It is surprising that these KWS officers have such behavior. The law states that if someone commits an offense, they should be arrested and taken to the nearest police station,” he added.
Investigations into the bizarre incident have kicked off as tension in the area remains high.
