Patrick Charo, 29, suffered a bullet wound in the back during clashes between squatters and police over a disputed piece of land in KD area of Kadzandani ward, Nyali subcounty, on Wednesday.
The family is demanding justice, saying the police acted with brute force. This comes as human rights groups insist the Independent Police Oversight Authority must take action against the officers who shot Charo and 19-year-old Form 3 student Daniel Musyoka.
Ipoa Coast regional coordinator Hussein Aden on Thursday told the Star they have commenced investigations with a view to establishing what transpired and possibly institute legal proceedings against anyone found culpable.
“I got the information from (Kadzandani MCA) Madam Fatma Kushe. Then immediately we dispatched our rapid response team in the evening. It was around 4pm. We already have the relevant police signal.
“We were told that somebody was injured and was at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital. This morning they were there. We are looking for the exhibit,” Aden said.
“We are investigating. We want to know what happened from the police. We were told some squatters were being evicted.”
He said their concern is whether due process was followed and whether the victims were injured by police bullets.
Speaking from his hospital bed on Wednesday evening, Charo said he first saw a police lorry enter their neighbourhood before two police vans followed early in the morning.
“When the police alighted from their vehicles, a second lorry came carrying some youth who were carrying machetes, rungus and tarimbos,” Charo said.
“The police officers were guarding the youth, who had wrapped their t-shirts around their heads so they could not be identified. All of them had dressed that way.”
The youth started demolishing the squatters’ houses with police offering them protection, irking the squatters who retaliated by throwing stones at the youth.
This triggered the police to lob teargas canisters and shoot in the air to scare away the squatters, who were about 230. The squatters overpowered the police and the hired youth and they retreated before calling for reinforcement.
Charo said the reinforcement are the ones who started shooting directly at them. He was hit by a bullet at the back as he tried to run away.
He was first rushed to a nearby health facility but was referred to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital where he had the bullet removed at around 4pm.
Charo’s family now says they have nowhere to go and their breadwinner is injured, exposing them to a life of further misery and hardship. MCA Kushe said the land question will lead to death and destruction if nothing is done.
“This is a sensitive matter that even the county government came and had a meeting with the squatters here to try and find an amicable solution,” the MCA said.
About three weeks ago, Governor Abdulswamad Nassir visited the area after another round of clashes between the squatters and the police.
Nassir pleaded with both parties to stop their frequent clashes and wait for the court to determine a case that had been filed in court over the disputed land.
The governor said his administration has come up with a bill to establish the Ardhi Fund to buy off disputed lands for resettlement of squatters.
The bill is currently before the Mombasa county assembly. Kushe said there is need to have a security baraza organized so matters land are discussed and solved amicably.
“This land matter will rope
in even those who are not involved,”
she said.
