A 12-year-old boy was shot in the head during a confrontation between rival groups at a political rally in Sofia Estate, Homa Bay Town, on Thursday evening.
The incident occurred at about 6:50pm after an aspirant for the Homa Bay Town parliamentary seat, held a series of campaign rallies within the town before proceeding to Sofia Estate.
According to police and witnesses, a confrontation broke out between the aspirant’s supporters and a rival group during the rally, resulting in the boy being shot in the head.
The boy was rushed to Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, where he received first aid. An X-ray reportedly showed that a bullet fragment had lodged in his skull.
He was subsequently referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu for specialised surgery to remove the bullet.
Police arrested the aspirant and two men described as his alleged bodyguards and placed them in custody pending interrogation.
During the arrests, police said the aspirant was found in possession of a Ceska pistol, together with two magazines containing 14 and 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition respectively.
One of his alleged bodyguards was also found in possession of a Motorola radio call, which was seized and booked as an exhibit.
The three suspects were booked at the police station and remained in custody as investigations into the shooting continued.
The incident came days after the town experienced violent clashes pitting the Linda Mwananchi team and goons hired by local politicians.
The clashes left at least four people dead and dozens seriously injured. Police say they are still investigating the incident amid claims of biasness in the whole process.
The area is emerging to be politically violent with the state being blamed of having a hand in it.
Cases where goons have been attacking perceived political rivals’ meetings have been on the rise in some parts of the country. The incidents have left at least six people dead in a worrying
trend.
Dozens of others were injured in the drama coming ahead of the 2027 polls.
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