A prison warder assigned to Lodwar GK Prison was apprehended on Friday for his involvement in an incident where he discharged a firearm near the security personnel safeguarding Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga. This event transpired just moments before Raila Odinga’s arrival at Lodwar Airstrip in Turkana.
The incident, documented in a police report under reference O/B 15/13/10/2023 and filed at Lodwar Police Station, unfolded on Friday morning. At that time, police officers, under the leadership of Sub County Police Commander Lemmy Njiru, were conducting a routine patrol at the airstrip.
These officers had been deployed to welcome Raila Odinga and his accompanying group at approximately 11:00 a.m., with the intent to escort them to the Turkana Cultural Festival occurring later in the day.
However, an individual dressed in civilian attire, who turned out to be a prison warder, emerged at the airstrip carrying a G3 rifle. He proceeded to fire a single shot into the air while approaching the security team.
Subsequently, SCPC Njiru and the security team swiftly intervened, subdued the prison warder, disarmed him, and detained him at Lodwar Police Station. It has been established that the suspect is an employee at Lodwar GK Prison.
Detectives, who interviewed the suspect at the police station, have not yet determined the motive behind his actions. As stated in the police report, he is scheduled for further questioning by a multi-agency panel comprising investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and officers from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
This incident occurred prior to Raila Odinga facing opposition during his attempt to address the residents of Turkana at the Turkana Festival. In the wake of the ensuing chaos, Raila’s security personnel swiftly evacuated him from the event.
The disturbance took place following criticisms from a group of Jubilee leaders who accused the former prime minister of neglecting the Turkana community. This led to a confrontation between supporters of the Jubilee leaders and Raila’s loyalists.
In response to the tumultuous situation, Turkana Central MP Joseph Emathe adjourned the meeting. Later on, Raila Odinga addressed the constituents outside the venue, attributing the conflict to President William Ruto. He alleged that the head of state had instigated Turkana leaders against him. However, President William Ruto had not responded to these allegations at the time of this report.
