A 45-year-old man believed to be a motorcycle robber escaped death by whiskey after seeking refuge at a hospital in Kuria West, Migori county.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), in a statement on Tuesday, said Mwita Daudi Marwa had leapt into Kehancha Mother & Child Hospital and taken refuge in a delivery room where mothers were heavy in labour to escape the wrath of boda boda riders who were baying for his blood.
After entering the delivery room, the nurse on duty saw him putting her in a dilemma but before she made her decision, police on patrol managed to gain entry into the hospital amid the mob that was also threatening to burn down the hospital.
“Torn between releasing the suspect to the irate nduthi-men or having him in the facility at that critical moment, the nurses on duty chose to save the man’s life from the bloodthirsty mob that was threatening to storm into the hospital.
“Luckily, a contingent of police officers that was conducting patrols in the town heard the commotion and rushed to the scene as the mob threatened to set the hospital ablaze,” part of the statement read.
Later, officers sneaked the suspect out through the roof to “avoid a confrontation with the visibly angry mob that had jammed the entrance, as it accused the suspect of masterminding the disappearance of several motorbikes in the area.”
DCI says while officers and the suspect left the hospital in a police vehicle, the mob blocked the car before pelting stones forcing the police to deploy teargas to disperse them.
During the fracas, the OCS Kehancha Police station suffered injuries on his left ankle and the police vehicle’s windscreen was damaged.
At the same time, the hospital’s ambulance was also damaged as well as several windowpanes in the hospital’s main building.
“Luckily, nobody was injured in the hospital as its operations resumed as usual, with several officers left behind to keep guard. Meanwhile, the suspect is currently in custody and being processed for arraignment,” part of the DCI report reads.