A family in Kisumu are mourning the death of their 19 year old daughter who was shot by a stray bullet in a violent confrontation between the police and traders on Tuesday.
Jacinter Achieng, who had gone for shopping ahead of her school reporting date, was killed by a stray police bullet while on a motorcycle as she was heading to the supermarket to shop for her school supplies.
She was among four people who sustained gunshot wounds when police opened fire on a hostile crowd in Kisumu’s Jua Kali area.
Three other casualties are recuperating after undergoing successful surgeries in different facilities in the lakeside city.
The studentwas rushed to the Aga Khan Hospital by good Samaritans but succumbed to the injuries while being attended to by medics, according to Dr Patrick Eshiwani, the facility’s medical director.
“She was brought in and when we examined her, we found that she had already succumbed to the gunshot wounds,” Dr Eshiwani said.
The teenagers mother cvould not control her emotions and wept uncontrollably after viewing the remains of her daughter, who was a Form Two student at Rangala Girls High School in Siaya County.
Her brother-in-law, Mr Charles Amollo, who was among the first to arrive at the faciluity, painfully recounted how he had sent the girl to buy the school supplies only to have her life ended by the police officer.
“Achieng’s death has hit me hard and has affected us as a family because she was really helpful to me and my expectant wife during that short period,” narrated Mr Amollo.
According to the family, the deceased had been out of school for nearly a month due to a lack of school fees, but her brother-in-law had planned to pay the rest of her fees for her continue her studies, only for her life to be cut short on the eve of second term’s opening.
Mr Kevin Ochieng, the boda boda rider whose motorcycle Achieng was riding at the time of the shooting, survived but with a bullet wound on his right arm. He is currently getting treatfment at Kisumu County Referral Hospital.
The bullet that pierced through his arm ended up killing his passenger.
“I just saw her lying in a pool of blood. I tried to ride the bike and felt my arm go numb, that’s when I realized I had also been shot,” Ochieng recounted.
A confrontation between police officers and Jua Kali artisans turned tragic, leaving several casualties and a single fatality.
Trouble started when police officers chased a public service vehicle into Jua Kali area.
The driver got out and ran towards the mechanics’ area. The police retreated as a crowd began to form.
Other traders in the area then joined the fray. That is when one of the officers started shooting.
Angered by the ensuing melee, traders took to the streets. Activities in the city were paralyzed for most of the morning by the protests.
Kisumu County Police Commander Alphonse Kimanthi assured the mechanics that investigations into the incident had been launched.
“We will carry out our investigations to find out what led to this incident and take necessary action against those found culpable,” said Mr Kimanthi.