•She told court that due to lack of food she is already suffering a relapse of her medical condition due to stress and lack of nutrition.
• She reported the matter at the police station but to date the investigations are still being conducted and her food has never been found.
Image: MARYANN CHAI
Police in Njoro, Nakuru, raided a widow's home for illicit brew but ended up seizing foodstuff, a woman has said.
Gladys Bonareri Machuki said the raid in January was conducted by the area chief, his assistant and other security officers. She says her children now have nothing to eat.
Bonareri has gone to court, asking the police be compelled to return to foodstuffs.
Through lawyer Kevin Michuki, she said the officers went to her home to look for illicit brew and when they didn’t find it they took foodstuffs used to feed her grandchildren.
Court papers said she was charged with being in possession of illicit brew, which she denies.
“Bonareri is a widow suffering from a terminal medical condition. She needs access to her food that was taken by government officials under the guise that they were raiding her premises for illicit brew,” court papers read.
She told court that due to lack of food she is suffering a relapse of her medical condition due to stress and lack of nutrition.
She has accused the acting chief of Njoro subcounty Joseph Thuo, assistant chief Mary Kamotho and county administrator James Mwaura of taking her food without reason.
In the case filed at the Nakuru High Court, lawyer Michuki has attached a video taken on the day of the raid at his client’s home, showing the foodstuffs being loaded into a lorry.
The foodstuffs taken from her home on that day included 70, 90kg bags of maize; 10 90kg bags of beans, two 90kg bags of millet and one 100kg bag of peas.
She said they also stole Sh8,000 from her house.
Bonareri said after the raid, she was arrested and booked for selling illicit brew, which was not found. She said her foodstuffs were never booked in the OB or kept as evidence.
She reported the matter at the police station but to date the investigations are still underway and her food has never been found.
“The petitioner is apprehensive the police will never get back her food and they may be in the process of covering for their fellow officers because they have all the information and witness and they have not done anything,” the court papers read.
Bonareri said it's a puzzle because the incident occurred in broad daylight and she has even produced videos, but nothing has been done.
“Bonareri continues to suffer with no food to eat and provide for her family and grandchildren. But the respondents who are in public service continue to enjoy her food and their salary paid by the the taxpayer with impunity," court documents read.
Bonareri has pleaded with the court to intervene saying she is weak, depressed and vulnerable. Her trust in public officers has been eroded because they have not helped her but left her exposed and vulnerable.
(Edited by V. Graham)