Police officer killed by speeding car in Teso

A police officer has died after being run over by a speeding car in the Teso North subcounty.

Police constable Nancy Jepchumba died on the spot after being hit by the car at the Koteko roadblock where she had deployed for night duty.

The incident happened at 3:00 am Monday, a senior police officer said.

The roadblock is approximately 10 kilometres away from the Malaba One Stop Border Post.

The police stop-point is located along the busy Malaba-Bungoma highway.

A senior police officer told the Star the car that killed the cop is yet to be tracked.

DCI officers in Teso North are in pursuit of the car.

Police suspect the car was carrying smuggled goods at the time of the incident.

It knocked the officer after the driver declined to stop after being flagged down by officers manning the roadblock.

Teso North subcounty police commander Joseph Matiku could not confirm the incident since he was away in Busia attending a high-level government meeting.

But Teso North deputy county commissioner Stephen Wambura said police are pursuing leads that may lead to the arrest of the driver of the killer car.

The DCC, however, could not divulge more details about the incident telling reporters to allow police to pursue the killer's car before providing a detailed statement.

The Koteko roadblock is located at a stretch where cars, sometimes, run at high speed.

It was established to check smuggling along the Malaba-Bungoma highway particularly smugglers importing into the country illegal goods through Uganda.

The roadblock is also a key point that cops use to check human trafficking, along the Northern corridor.

The road stretching from Koteko to Malaba has been recording accidents and the leadership of Teso North has been calling for the dualling of the highway to minimize accidents.

The last of such calls was made on Sunday when Teso North MP Oku Kaunya called on the government to expand the road to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic.

Parliament Speaker Moses Wetang’ula speaking at the Malaba Parish Catholic Church said on Sunday plans are at an advanced stage to dual the road with a survey expected to start in February 2024.