IPOA opens probe into fatal shooting of man during tea farmers' protest

The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has opened investigations into the fatal shooting of a man during Wednesday’s protests by tea farmers at Mogogosiek in Konoin, Bomet.

Robert Kiplangat Chepkwony is said to have died of a gunshot wound that pierced through the chest.

Several others were also injured during the demonstrations organised by the farmers from the area in protest over the low bonus pay by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA).

IPOA CEO Elema Halake who confirmed to be seized of the matter said they have already contacted the police in the area for fact-finding into what happened.

Halake added that they will be dispatching a team to go and record statements from the various witnesses.

“A Rapid Response Team will be dispatched from Nakuru this morning to launch the investigations,” he said.

The body of Chepkwony is preserved at the Kapkatet hospital morgue in Kericho awaiting postmortem.

Some of the family members who spoke to the media said the deceased was not part of the protesters and wondered who became the target.

“He was at work, he was not part of the demonstrators, in fact, he was standing some kilometres away from where the group was,” said Michael Chepkwony, a brother.

Bomet county police commander Edward Imbwaga on his part, however, maintains that Chepkwony was among the people who were disrupting peace and who were planning the protests.

This, while stating that the matter is under active probe by both the internal affairs and IPOA.

“The matter is with the investigators. The family is free to give the information they have of what they have, we are also going to provide it,” he stated.

During the demonstrations at the Mogogosiek tea factory, farmers stormed the factory and destroyed property.

It follows a similar pattern at the Kapkoros and Motigo tea factories.

While the rates for each of the 54 KTDA tea factories are yet to be officially made, reliable sources have intimated that those in the region are set to pay between Sh20 and Sh25 per kilo of green leaves delivered up to June this year.

The farmers are expressing dissatisfaction with what they perceive as a lack of transparency and fairness in the process.

"We work hard every season, but we see little reward for our efforts," said one of the farmers.

"We want to know why our bonuses fluctuate year after year yet they are high in other regions." 

The protests have now garnered attention from political leaders, with Konoin MP Brighton Yegon calling for restraint.

He urged the aggrieved farmers to focus on other dispute-resolution mechanisms.

"I want to implore all farmers to exercise restraint. We will soon call for a forum with tea farmers to have a candid discussion on bonus pronouncement, separation, and other issues," he said.

During the demonstrations at the Mogogosiek tea factory, farmers stormed the factory and destroyed property.

It follows a similar pattern at the Kapkoros and Motigo tea factories.

While the rates for each of the 54 KTDA tea factories are yet to be officially made, reliable sources have intimated that those in the region are set to pay between Sh20 and Sh25 per kilo of green leaves delivered up to June this year.

The farmers are expressing dissatisfaction with what they perceive as a lack of transparency and fairness in the process.

"We work hard every season, but we see little reward for our efforts," said one of the farmers.

"We want to know why our bonuses fluctuate year after year yet they are high in other regions," another farmer quipped.

The protests have now garnered attention from political leaders, with Konoin MP Brighton Yegon calling for restraint.

He urged the aggrieved farmers to focus on other dispute-resolution mechanisms.

"I want to implore all farmers to exercise restraint. We will soon call for a forum with tea farmers to have a candid discussion on bonus pronouncement, separation, and other issues," he said.