Two traffic police officers manning a roadblock along Port- Bumala road in Busia county found themselves on the receiving end of hard blows from an angry General Service Unit (GSU) officer.
The GSU officer was provoked to show his counterparts who had more muscle and on the right side of the law after he found the two extorting bribes from a bodaboda rider.
The GSU officer was provoked after one of the traffic cops slapped him. The afternoon incident occurred after the GSU officer, who was walking past the roadblock questioned why the traffic officers were harassing the rider alongside his client.
“One officer called Onyango slapped the GSU officer provoking him to hit back in defence,” said an eye witness. According to the eye witnesses the GSU officer who was a resident of Funyula beat up the officer alongside a colleague who had come to back up forcing them to flee towards Sio Port area. It was reported Onyango escaped the government to government combat with head injuries and was treated and discharged at Sio Port Sub-County Hospital.
The elite officer’s actions were applauded by residents who accused the traffic officers of being habitual extortionists who had made life difficult for bodaboda operators. The traffic officers later confronted the GSU officer, daring him for a rematch.
Sources privy to the incident said Onyango, dissatisfied with the outcome of the combat followed the GSU officer to a shopping centre in Funyula and dared him for a rematch. The residents however, cautioned the GSU man not to confront the cop who had come with four other officers as he was armed with a knife, prompting him to slither away not to cause further trouble.
Busia County Police Commander, John Nyoike, assured investigations into the conduct of the officers donning civilian clothes had been launched.