A 21-year-old woman from Eldama Ravine in Baringo county has painfully mourned her husband, who was allegedly shot by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) officers.

Doreen Chebii expressed deep concern about how she would survive after the death of Augustine Kipng’etich, as they had only just begun building their family.

"My husband was a caring person. He has left me with very young children, and I am only 21 years old. What will I do now?" she asked in a report by Citizen TV.

Kipng’etich’s parents urged the authorities to ensure justice is served, saying their son had only been called for a job at Narasha Forest when he was attacked.

His father, Paul Rotich, stated that the officers assaulted the young man, leading to his death.

"He was a boda boda rider who had been called for work in the forest, and he went. Shortly after, I was informed that he had been arrested," he said.

His distraught mother, Jane Rotich, added that when they went to see Kipng’etich, the officers turned them away.

Rotich recalled that the officers pointed their guns at her and, by the time she was able to see her son, he was in a critical condition.

The young man was reportedly attacked by three KFS officers and sustained a gunshot wound when he went to collect fencing posts inside the forest as per a client’s directive.

The 26-year-old boda boda operator was shot in the leg, after which the officers rushed him to Nakuru Level 5 Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The three suspects, Robert Ngilimo, Hillary Bet, and McDonald Wafula, were charged at Eldama Ravine Law Courts.

Moreover, the Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkoko, described the incident as deeply unfortunate, adding that they do not condone such confrontations between their rangers and members of the public.

Previously, reported that a Form Three student identified as Mwangi from Maji Mazuri Day School in Eldama died after being assaulted by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) officers.

The officers allegedly resorted to violence and attacked the teenager with crude weapons, leaving him severely injured and fighting for his life.

This happened after he questioned them for humiliating his mother when they arrested her for trespassing in the forest.

also reported that the mother of the Form Three student assaulted by KFS officers narrated how she was apprehended after they found her with a tree trunk.

The distraught woman stated that the officers demanded a KSh 2,500 bribe, but she only had KSh 1,500.

She called her son to bring the balance, which led to the unfortunate altercation that resulted in his death.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke