12 County Askaris Suspended for Dragging Female Hawker Behind Speeding Vehicle

12 Kisumu County government askaris who were on Wednesday filmed dragging a woman behind a speeding vehicle have been suspended.

While announcing their suspension on Thursday, Kisumu County Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o said a probe into the incident has been opened.

“As investigations continue on this matter with the urgency it deserves, I have directed the City Manager to immediately suspend from duty all the officers who were involved in this incident with immediate effect,” Nyong’o said in a statement.

A video shared on social media showed a speeding white pick-up truck dragging the lady by her legs along a tarmac road in Kisumu. Some boda-boda riders were seen following the vehicle in an attempt to save the woman.

The woman, 38-year-old Beatrice Magolo, sustained injuries during the incident that has sparked public outrage.
 
In an interview, Beatrice said she was selling her products near the Kisumu Bus Park when a group of kanjo askaris ambushed her for allegedly flouting rules on hawking. 

The officers tried to bundle her onto the back of the vehicle but she resisted, leading to a scuffle that drew the attention of fellow hawkers and boda-boad operators. The driver of the truck abruptly sped off for fear of being attacked by mob.

“One of the kanjo askaris firmly held my right arm, causing me to hang from the truck with my legs on the tarmac road,” the single mother said.

“Governor [Anyang] Nyong’o demolished our kiosks next to the bus park but did not relocate us to another place. So we have nowhere to do our businesses apart from hawking,” she added.

She was dragged along the tarmac for nearly half a kilometer before she was dropped off at the gate of Central Police Station.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Kisumu MCAs condemned the barbaric act.