A court in Eldoret has found that one of the Uasin Gishu senior county officers has a case to answer in regard to assault charges that he is facing.
The office, Jeremiah Cheruiyot Kipruto, had been charged with assaulting a butcher trader during a crackdown on banned plastic papers.
Following the hearing of the case, Eldoret Principal Magistrate Mogire Onkoba found that Kipruto, an enforcement officer from the Department of Public Health, had a case answer.
The case was filed by a local trader from the Kipkaren estate on the outskirts of Eldoret town in May 2019.
Court documents relating to the case indicate that on May 15, 2019, at Kipkaren estate in Kapsaret Sub County, the accused attacked Albert Chabaka Onitita a butcher man when he was found wrapping meat in banned polythene bags.
The prosecution told the court that the incident occurred during a crackdown on the banned plastic bags.
The court heard that the accused, who was in the company of eight other county officials, attacked the trader before subjecting him to grievous bodily harm.
Medical reports available in court indicate that the complainant incurred several injuries on the chest and knees after the accused allegedly landed on him with kicks and blows.
Put on defense
The county enforcement officer denied the charges and was freed on bond.
But on Monday, he was put on his defence where he produced two witnesses.
The witnesses who included public health officer Alfred Kemboi and a senior finance officer Titus Rono – all exonerated their boss from any wrongdoings terming the charges as framed.
“The injuries that the complainant had were as a result of bruises he inflicted after falling down on tarmac road when he was running away from us as we attempted to interrogate him on banned plastic bags in his shop,” Kemboi told the court.
Kipruto is alleged to have forcefully entered into the said butcher before a confrontation ensued.
The court has directed the defence team to present their written submission in two weeks’ time.
The case will be mentioned on August 25, 2023.
Attacks on traders
There have been increased claims of attacks on traders by the Uasin Gishu County enforcement officers, with more than five similar cases currently active in court.
Among them is a robbery with violence case involving a senior enforcement officer who is charged with robbing a matatu operator of more than Ksh500,000 during an operation by county enforcement officers.
The most recent one is a case where a senior enforcement officer is facing charges of threatening to kill a senior Resident Magistrate.
All the cases are still active in court.
