Tension gripped Kasipul on Wednesday after armed youths attacked detectives during a murder suspect raid, leaving three DCI officers injured and five suspects on the run—just days before the constituency’s by-election.
Police said five suspects, who had been cornered for arrest, managed to escape during the confrontation.
The incident comes ahead of the Kasipul parliamentary by-election.
Among the injured was the DCI Officer in Charge of Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Daniel Muhuhi.
The officers were attacked by armed goons while attempting to arrest the suspects at the homestead of the late former Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were in Kachien Village, Central Kasipul Ward.
Police have launched a major manhunt for the suspects and those believed to have incited the mob.
One of the suspects fled with a police handcuff, and officers have appealed to him to surrender it to the nearest station.
Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koilem said the officers were attacked at the late MP’s homestead, where the suspects had been hiding.
Koilem explained that the operation followed police intelligence that tracked the suspects to Kosele Trading Centre. When they noticed police presence, the suspects fled and sought refuge in the homestead.
The officers pursued them and managed to arrest five suspects. However, before they could leave, a crowd of more than 100 youths stormed the compound and locked the main gate, sparking a tense standoff.
The officers fired in the air to disperse the mob as they called for reinforcement, but the crowd overpowered them, pelting stones and attacking them with crude weapons.
Three officers, including Muhuhi, sustained injuries in the melee. The five suspects who had been arrested managed to escape, with one fleeing while still in handcuffs.
The injured officers were taken to Rachuonyo South Sub-County Hospital for treatment as police launched a manhunt for the fugitives.
The two slain youths were killed last week during clashes between rival groups at a rally in Oyugis. Police said investigations into both the murders and the attack on officers are ongoing.
Tension remains high in the area ahead of the by-election set for November 27 amid intensified security operations, with police vowing to ensure justice is served.
