There was tension at new Malindi Bus Park when a Kenya police reservist escaped death narrowly when police officers rescued him after irate members of public tried to lynch him.
Members of public had gathered to lynch the officer who was were carrying his fire arm escorting his family from Tana Delta to Malindi and Mombasa claiming he was among those killing residents in Tana delta tribal clash.
Where have you got this fire arm from and why are you going to Tana River bus stage or you are among those who are killing brothers and sisters in Tana Delta we will lynch you today and set your body ablaze," shouted members of public who had already brought petrol to set a blaze the tuktuk which the suspect had boarded with his family.
According to Malindi district Matatu chairman operators Mohamed Badawi, the officer with his two children and wife were from Tana Delta and he had brought his family to board a bus to Mombasa before he was cornered.
He said members of public including matatu operators saw the gun he was carrying and since he was only in police jungle in his upper clothes and Orma attires on his lower side of his body they suspected that he might have been on his way to the area to continue killing locals.
"I was called and then on reaching where the suspect was locals were almost fighting him but I tried my best to block them and pleaded with them before I took the gun and called police immediately. Members of public were angry to extend of beating me as they tried to get him out of the tuk tuk he had boarded with his family," he noted.
Badawi added that police officers led by Malindi district Police boss Kiprono Lang'at arrived and rescued the man and his family and took him to Malindi police station.
Business activities were almost closed down for some minutes as everyone in the tourist’s town headed to the police station to know the fate of the suspect before they were dispersed after it was revealed that the suspect was a police reservists working in Garsen.
"That man was lucky because people here don't want such issues going on in Tana Delta to spill over and so they will do anything to ensure that firearms and other weapons heading to that region do not get their way there in short locals and matatu operators are alert," said Badawi.
Malindi district police boss confirmed the incident and said that the officer belongs to Kenya Police Reservist who has worked in Garsen for
17 years according to information from security officials in the area.
He said after interrogating the officer, that they found that he was transferring his family from Tana River to Malindi and then Mombasa because of the tribal clashes going on for their security reasons before going back to his place.
"We have communicated with our colleagues in Tana River and found that the officer is a police reservist but locals thought he was a fighter because of lower side dressing in one of the rival communities fighting in Tana Delta but at least we responded quickly after we were called and rescued him," he asserted.
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