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Three Shot in Violent Tea Polls
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 17 July 2007 00:13
The three were admitted at the Kisii District Hospital following the violence that marred elections of the Kenya Tea Development Authority for Nyacheki zone of Nyamache tea factory on Friday.
The boy, who was not named, was shot in the right hand and 16-year-old primary pupil Motonwa Ayora in the abdomen. The third casualty was Mr Richard Maticha, who had his left leg fractured by a bullet.
Doctors yesterday operated on the pupil to remove the bullet removed from his abdomen.
The district surgeon, Dr Nicholas Tinega, said the three were responding well to treatment.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Maticha, in his 30s, said the officers provoked the farmers by having appeared to protect a trailing candidate as he and his supporters celebrated "victory" before results were announced.
The account was backed by one of the farmers, who told the Nation: "The officers provoked the situation when they joined a loser by escorting him as his supporters danced around the venue. Those who were still queuing for another candidate felt cheated and confronted the dancing group," said a farmer.
Some election officials made matters worse by joining the candidate in celebrating, he added.
But a police officer, who did not want to be named, said the officers charged when farmers whose preferred candidate was losing armed themselves and wanted to lynch one of the contestants.
Bobasi MP Stephen Manoti, who visited the injured in hospital, accused police of being reckless. "Why did they use live bullets to disperse farmers?" asked the Ford People MP.
He demanded for the arrest of the officers from Ogembo police station. Gucha police boss Rems Werui would not be reached for comment.
In Nyamira, a farmers annual general meeting at the weekend ended in disarray when farmers walked out in protest.
Irate Sanganyi tea factory shareholders turned heckled their chairman, Mr Migiro Ongwae, as they accused the directors of running down the plant.
Tea Board representative John Nyagarama tried to cool tempers but failed.
Thousands of growers at the meetings demanded the board's resignation and rejected the 2004/2005 accounts.
Mr George Bichanga, one of 10,000 growers farmer-shareholders, said that money for the repair of roads had been misused. he called for an audit of tea cess funds.
He also said that money from the sale of factory vehicles was not reflected in the accounts.
The growers threatened to evict a director, Mr Andrew Nyamwanda, accusing him of rigging recent elections.
They also wanted fewer directors on the board. But Mr Ongwae and Mr Nyamwanda denied money had been misused. Instead they accused politicians of hiring youths to disrupt the meeting.
"No money has been misappropriated you have the books of account and you can confirm from there," he added.
The growers also want the cost of production costs reduced and the number of directors reduced to two saying they were drawing millions of shillings in allowances.
